Tempting Fate
by Kaz
Summary: Sequel to Rescue Me. The tag team championship is set to begin, an old evil is lurking around in the background, teams are forming, and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer. Tala x Mariah
1. Default Chapter

**Note**: Here we go guys; I finally started the **sequel** to **Rescue****Me**. It would be a good idea to **read that one first **or else you might find yourselves a bit lost. For those interested, I wrote a fic (lemon) about these two on adult fan fiction, the link is on my profile.

**Pairing**: Tala x Mariah (Yuriy x Mao)

**Rating**: PG-13/T

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, an old evil is lurking around in the background, teams are forming, and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblades, or any of the characters. I do however own the plot line.

**Shameless Plugging: **I have another fic called **Life Goes On**, based about the girls…. If you like **Tala/Mariah** you may want to check it out -whistles- though I am not sure that's the end pairing.

**Tempting Fate** (The sequel to Rescue Me)

By Kaz

**Chapter 1**

"Oh for goodness sake, where is _he_?" a pink haired girl complained, while waiting rather impatiently by the small run down hut. Staring at her watch for the umpteenth time, she sighed before banging on the door of the hut and stamping her foot on the ground.

"Yes?" A small man asked, appearing out of the hut. Like most of the residents in this small town, he had the traditional cat-like appearance. "What is it that I can I do for you… Oh, it's you Mariah, I am sorry the post man hasn't arrived yet."

"But… but, where is he? It's been," she glanced at her watch and faltered as she saw the time.

"Yes, it has been all of five minutes since you last asked; now please, as soon as the mail arrives I will tell you but for now please let me get on with my work." And with that, the small man slammed the door shut, leaving the amber-eyed girl pouting and reeling in frustration.

"What does he mean it's been all of five minutes? Five minutes is a very long time! Where the heck is that postman! Doesn't he understand that a letter from, from, _someone_ could be in there?" The girl growled in frustration, and slammed her hand on the hut, which acted as a post office to the small village. "Arrgh, I am so annoyed, I have been waiting for an hour now, where is he!"

"Now, now little Mariah, you must not let your frustration get to you."

Mariah glanced around to see who was there. To her surprise, it was her sensei, "Tao-sensei?"

"Yes, remember, just because the ice has melted, doesn't not mean that the grasshoppers shall not flock to the southern mountain queen."

"… A-huh," she replied, sweat dropping at the man's statement. "Well, I … ARGH what time is it? Has the mailman already come? Oh no, what if he left and, and, and…"

"Mail's here!" Cried a voice from inside, looking at the girl, who stared back blankly for a few moments, before the wheels began to turn and caused the girl to react. "Ah, it's finally here!"

Without another word, she grabbed the bag containing all the letters and almost pushed the mailman aside, while diving into the bag trying to locate the valuable item.

"Where is it? I hope he has sent me one, he told me in his last letter that I should be getting another one today, _where is it_…."

The girl continued to mumble, not noticing the smiles on the faces of the other people currently surrounding her. Everyone in the village knew about her 'friendship' with a certain red-haired male. Though some, the elder's particular, disapproved immensely, everyone else was happy for the girl. They had seen her cry so much. For instance when Ray left the village, all that was seen on her face was sadness but now she radiated with joy and they prayed that she and her male 'friend' would be happy together. Not that she would admit to having anything more than friendship with the male. She told everyone very severely that they were friend and nothing more. Though many of the women simply thought that was so the elders would not find out and punish the girl. Even though Lee and Ray had spoken for Tala and described how he had saved Mariah from being hurt, they would have none of it and sadly, tradition lived on and things like this were not permitted in their eyes.

This did upset the girl, more than they knew. Even though she was adamant about her relationship with Tala and would always say, they were friends, in truth, she did like him, and she was falling for him. Actually, she fell for him a long time ago but she knew the elders would be against them so she tried not to let get any further and told herself that he was a friend and nothing more, though, try telling her heart that. It's why she survived for his letters, she would never be allowed to visit him, heck, the fact they were allowed to write to each other was a miracle. But every two weeks, she had the pleasure of looking forward to a five page long letter, with him describing everything in his life. Her letters were much longer but then she was more open with her feelings so naturally she had more to write about.

It was like those letters were her life, she couldn't see him but she had those letters and she would be damned if anyone tried to take them away from her.

"Ohh, I hope it isn't lost. You didn't misplace any of the mail did you Shen?" She asked, whilst continuing to browse.

"You don't mean _this_ letter do you?"

Mariah turned her head to glance at mailman, her eyes widening when she saw him smirk and pull out a letter from his inside pocket.

"This letter? From a Mister Tala Valkov? All the way from Russia?"

"Why you little…" Mariah screamed before charging up the male, trying desperately to get her letter. "Give it to me!" She cried, as the taller man held it just out of her reach.

"Aw Shen," cried one of the village women, "Give it to her, the poor dear has been waiting ever since she got up."

"Fine, fine!" The older man laughed, handing the letter to the annoyed girl. Snatching it, she ran out of the hut, tearing it open… the first word almost had her screaming in joy.

"Dear Mariah," she began, reading it out aloud "I am happy that everything is well in…"

"Hey Mariah what you got there?"

"Is it food?"

Mariah screwed her face in frustration and screamed, "No it is not food Gary and leave me alone Kevin, go bother someone else!"

"Ohh," cried Kevin, his eye twinkling in mischief, "It's a letter from your b_oyfriend?_" And before she could react, grabbed the letter and making a run for it.

"Kevin you little brat, get back here! I am going to pound your head into the ground." She cried, while chasing him. "And he is not my boyfriend! We are just friends!"

The villagers looked on in amusement as the pink haired feline girl chased after her letter, most of them thinking, just friends indeed.

* * *

"Ray, we must practise for the upcoming tag team championships. We need to be at our best, I know we have only just found out about this new championship but we need to train if we want to win." 

"I know Lee, it's more than likely that you and I will represent the White Tigers and we need to practise as much as we can." Ray said to his teammate as they stood before a bey stadium, made from a tree trunk. 'We are going to win this tournament,' Ray thought, clutching Drigger tighter, 'And Tyson get ready because I am going to beat you!'

Lee glanced at Ray, he knew how much his friend wanted to beat the world champion, heck they all did and the only way they could do that would be to get better. "Still we should let the others know, we all need to train, plus we have been slacking lately and..."

"When I catch you I am going to turn you into MINCEMEAT KEVIN!"

Lee and Ray both watched baffled, as a green blur came charging at them, screaming something like, "Help! The psycho woman is after me!" Then a pink blur came and tackled the boy to the ground, screaming and shouting as loud as she could.

"You stupid pipsqueak give it BACK!"

"Ah Lee help! She is choking me!"

Lee sighed, his teammates were certainly a handful, and it seemed that only he could control the younger two.

"Now, now, Mariah, stop choking Kevin and just relax"

"DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX!" She screamed, almost blowing Lee and Ray away.

"Heh, heh, okay!" Lee said, happy that looks couldn't kill or else he would have been dead long ago. "So why exactly are you trying to kill Kevin?"

"He has my letter!" She cried, growling at the green haired boy again.

"Letter?" Asked Ray confused.

"Yes, my letter!"

"Which letter?" Ray and Lee asked.

"My letter!" She screamed.

"What letter," Ray asked as Lee turned to him.

"Her letter," the Galeon owner said, equally as confused.

"Yes, yes MY LETTER!" Mariah was beyond annoyed by now.

"Her letter," they both said, before it dawned on them.

"Oh _that_ letter!" Lee said, as Ray laughed at the expression on Mariah's face.

"Yeah the letter of love from her boyfriend," Kevin laughed, only to get a punch from Mariah as she grabbed her letter and shot a dark look at the boys as she walked off.

"Be sure to let us know when the wedding is!" Kevin hollered, only to get another punch in the head this time from Lee.

_"Ow…"_

"Stupid boys," she mumbled as she found a nice spot by the waterfall, "They always have to tease me, well just they wait, I am going to beat them all good one day." She took the letter out from its envelope, a smile warming over her face. Carefully folding out the creases, she began to read the letter, the familiar feeling rising up inside her stomach.

_Dear Mariah,_

_I am happy that all is well in your village; I hope that they do not bother you too much when you get this letter. I am currently still in __Russia__, we have all been training since we found out about a new tournament coming up._

"Tournament?" she mumbled confused, "Ray and Lee haven't said anything about it, hmm I wonder if they know about it?" Carrying on, she scanned her eyes over the letter.

_If you don't know of this by the time you get my letter then I am sure you soon will. It seems that they want to make a tag team tournament, though nothing has been openly said as of yet. As of now, __Bryan__, Spencer and I have been training; you know we are going to win this year._

"Yeah right," she said cheekily, "The White Tigers will beat you any day!"

_Ian is still effected by events of last year so he can't compete, which annoys him greatly but he also managed to go and break his leg in the process of trying to show us that he is okay._

Mariah rolled her eyes at this, 'Boys will be boys,' she thought.

_But that aside, everything else is fine with me, I actually helped this small girl on the streets today. Yes, I did. Stupid girl had gone and wondered off so she had lost her parents, so I helped her to find them. Though, of course I only did it because her crying was annoying me and she looked pathetic just standing there crying her eyes out…_

"Oh, _of course_!" Mariah snorted, before her heart jumped at the next sentence.

_"But for some reason, she also reminded me of you, she had a nice smile... Anyway, there is something else you need to know, if your team does go to the world championships, there is this team known as Barthez Battalion, stay away from them and their captain. There is something weird about them and I don't want you to get hurt. _

_Take care Mariah and I will see you at the tournaments, Tala._

_PS: Get ready, 'cos we have a few surprises up our sleeves. _

"He's silly, he worries too much. Hmm a new championship, I better go and ask Lee if he knows." The pink haired girl said, as she dusted of her clothes and folded the letter back into the envelope, not knowing what a costly mistake she made by not taking what Tala said seriously.

* * *

"So it is decided then, Lee and Ray will be the front men of the White Tiger X team," the elder said, as the teenagers bowed in respect as they gained permission to leave. 

"Yes," said Ray, "We all fought and in the end Lee and I were the ones who were decided."

"Very good then, go but remember, you hold the honour for our tribe and village, make us proud and don't do anything stupid." The last part was particular aimed at Mariah, as the Elder, her grandfather, glared at her making his point know. She almost shivered.

"Right the guys lets go!" Kevin said, as they made their way towards the boat.

"Look out world championships here we come!" They all cried as they entered the boat.

'And look out Tala 'cos here I come,' She thought, as she sat down in the boat. 'I am going to see you again.

* * *

Back in the cold country of Russia, Tala growled as he shoved his possession into duffel throw bag. He had to hurry; it seemed someone didn't want him to make the championships. Ever since he found out some _information_ about a certain person and his plans for the future, he had to watch him back. He didn't care though, no matter what he would not allow that person to hurt anyone, every again, he would make sure of it. 

"Tala hurry up," Spencer shouted, while knocking on the door, "We need to leave soon, Bryan has gone to re check the details of out flight but still we need to get out of here."

"Yeah, I'm almost done," he told the blonde boy, grabbing his flight ticket as he made his way to the door only for a bundle of letter's bound together by a pink ribbon, courtesy of the letter sender, to fall on the floor just by his feet.

"Mariah," he whispered softly, dropping his bag and sitting on the bed studying the letters. It still didn't feel real to him, back then he was a different person, he was evil, he wanted power and now… all he wanted to do was put things right and beyblade. And to think, it was all thanks to one girl. This one girl who has come out from nowhere, from a time when he wouldn't even have looked twice at someone like her …

"But I did look at her, and now look at me." He chuckled as certain memories swept across his mind, from the first night he met her, to the kiss, to that night when Boris came and tried to take her away from him.

"Boris," he growled, clutching the letters tighter, there was no way he would let Boris hurt her again, he would kill before that happened.

"Tala you ready?"

Shoving the letters into his bag, he swung the bag over his shoulder before going outside to meet his teammates. 'You'll pay Boris, you and Barthez.'

* * *

"Welcome all fans, the tag team championships are just moments away from starting! Don't forget to sign up though, make your way to the registration desk found in block A!" DJ Jazzman screamed into his microphone, the fans all running around him, some trying to find their favourite teams, while others were going to sign up. The entire atmosphere was happy, everyone was so excited, and that included all the teams. 

"I can't believe we are here again," Mariah said, stretching her arms as they got off the bus. "Who would have thought that we would be at another tournament again?"

"Hm that is true, I can't wait to start battling," Lee replied, ignoring Kevin as he hopped around on one foot trying to get rid of the stiffness in his leg.

"But this time we are going to battle to win," Ray said, as his other teammates agreed with him.

"Yes, but the only way we are going to do that is by practising as much as we can that means no distractions."

"Right," hollered all the boys, causing them to look at their female teammate who seemed a millions miles away.

"Mariah?" Lee inquired.

"Hmm? Oh yes, of course," she said hastily, She had been scanning the crowds to try and see if she could see if a certain _somebody_ had arrived. "No distractions," she whispered, as she walked behind her teammates, yeah right.

* * *

"So remember guys, I want nothing but two hundred percent from you," Tala told his team, his natural authoritative role coming into play. "Now that a certain somebody has joined the team, we are in an even stronger position to win, which means we need to traning at out best and not let anything distract us, right?" 

"Right," Spencer and Bryan replied, following their team leader to the registration desk.

"Rightttt…" Tala found himself trailing off as a flash of pink caught his eyes. There straight ahead, it was her. He was sure his heart stopped for a brief moment, as annoying as it was he couldn't stop staring at her, she was beautiful. She had changed a lot in the years, he noted, her figure had filled out a little more, making her curves seem deadly, her hair was still in it's traditional ponytail but there was something different about her, her whole expression, aura, it was just so happy, she seemed to be glowing.

"Tala?"

He couldn't even answer Bryan as his pink angel suddenly, turned her head and their eyes locked.

'Yep,' he thought, as her eyes widened slightly, 'This was going to be a distraction alright.'

TBC

And there we have it the first chapter is done, yeah I know not a real start to the plot line but it was just a brief introduction as to what they had been doing and also I wanted them to meet as soon as possible. Yeah, Tala has a soft spot for Mariah; trust me though, he is his lovely cold, arrogant self with everyone else. For those who have seen when Tala fights Garland you'll know why he was warning Mariah about Barthez Battalion. Just so, you know, this is **not **going to be following the G revolution episodes, okay. The basic plot line is but I don't want to write about the matches, so don't go hey it doesn't happen like that, I know it doesn't I have seen all of g-rev. Anyway, comments and reviews are loved so please leave them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author note**: 5 years and I finally post an update… and my writing style still sucks. To be honest I can't remember any of Beyblades, so this will not follow the G-Revolution universes. I will however go back, try, and re-watch some important matches that will come into play in this fic. And has anyone seen the new Beyblade series? Metal Fusion or something?

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, this time with an old evil lurking in the background. Teams are forming and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Pairings**: Tala/Mariah. Emily/Max and Kai/Hilary (maybe)

**Rating**: PG-13/T (for now, will go up to M)

**Warning**: Rating will eventually go up to M. In addition, this fic does not follow the G-Rev universe. Tala/Mariah pairing.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bakuten Shoot Beyblades or any other recognised characters; they are all copyrighted to their respective owners.

Tempting Fate (Sequel to Rescue Me)

Chapter 2

By Kaz.

Mariah felt like she couldn't breathe. Eyes widening, she turned her face and swallowed hard. She knew she would have eventually seen him but she wasn't expecting it to be so soon and in such a public place. She didn't even know how was meant to act around him. Was she meant to speak to him or did he want to keep a distance. Maybe he wouldn't like it she spoke to him, after all they were here as competitors and not lovers_. 'I mean friends'_ she thought hastily trying to correct that Freudian slip. Maybe he didn't feel the same as she did and only felt friendship. So many questions, she felt herself getting dizzy at the thought of them all. Of course, she was being irrational but seeing him, it awoke vaguely familiar feelings inside of her, so forcefully that she could physically feel them bruise her inside. She wasn't sure she was ready to face these feelings yet, talking to him via letters was easy but talking to him face to face was not.

Palms sweating she rubbed them absent-mindedly on her pants and tried to concentrate on what her teammates were saying. Which of course was no use, as soon as had she turned towards her teammates, Tala came into her vision again. Blushing slightly, she realised he was still staring at her, what was even worse was that his teammates had also realised what was holding his attention. Having him stare at her was bad enough, having his teammates also stare at her was unbearable. She had to get out of there, she felt like she was going to have a panic attack or even worse faint dead on the spot. Swooning in front of the person she loved was not her idea of making a good impression and as far as she was aware desperate times called for desperate measures. Therefore, she did the most courageous thing she could think of, she turned and _fled_.

"Mariah!" cried her brother Lee perplexed, drawing even more attention to her, "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," she answered back, before hurrying along to the nearest female toilets.

Thankfully, the restroom was empty. Breathing in deeply, she willed herself to calm down and promptly burst into tears. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been; she had only seen him from a distance and managed to embarrass herself in the process. What a complete and utter overreaction. He had only been standing there and it is not as if he had marched right up to her and declared he loved her. Had he of done that she would have fainted for sure.

Wiping her face with her hands, she broke of some tissue and dabbed her eyes.

"I can't believe what an idiot I am and what must he think of me now?" she whispered, her breath coming out harshly due to her dramatic breakdown.

Lost in her thoughts for a while, she clenched her fists before composing herself.

"Right, there is no way to rewind time, Mariah." She began to lecture herself, "You are going to get a hold of yourself and then go back to your teammates and concentrate on this tournament. No thinking of Tala and quit being such a drama queen. Tala is a friend and you will talk and act natural around him. Remember no distractions." With her lecture finished, she felt her sprits lifting and felt composed again. She washed away any last traces of her tears away and dried her face. Taking another deep breath, she glanced in the mirror to make sure she looked fine before turning around and grabbing the door handle. She would not lose it this time she vowed before walking out the door to locate her teammates.

* * *

Tala wasn't listening to anything, '_what had happened to Mariah?_' he thought. She had just turned and rushed off, '_was she upset?_ _Was she ill? Had he upset her?' _ So many questions and thoughts entered his mind. What on earth could have happened to her? Maybe she didn't want him to talk to her, maybe she was worried what other people would think. After all this was a tournament maybe, she wanted to concentrate on that. However, she looked so distressed and the thought of her hurt troubled him beyond belief.

Worried and not thinking straight, he began to walk in the direction of where the White Tigers were standing, when a voice stopped him.

"Lookout everyone! The champion is back and ready to take the world tag team championship title this time!"

"Tyson," thought Tala, while everyone turned and looked at the loudmouth who was currently being hushed by Kenny.

"Tyson!" cried Rei in delight as he shook hands with his old friend, and began to ask him about his journey.

Turning off from the conversation between the two, Tala looked around again when he jumped slightly as he saw that Mariah had come back. Giving her a quick look over, he saw that her cheeks were slightly flushed and that her eyes looked a little red.

'_Has she been crying?_' he wondered, not noticing the subconscious concern he felt at the thought. If anything happened to her again, he wouldn't be able to stand that. She was the only friend he had, the only person that meant something to him. When everyone else had abandoned him, she was the only one there standing at his side. '_I would never let any harm come to her,' _he vowed before once again starting in her direction, only to be _shoved unmercifully_ by a brown blur.

"Mariah!" cried Hilary as she grabbed the pink haired girl in a hug. "I can't believe how long it's been! I am so happy to see you"

"I know it's been ages!" His pink haired saviour said before returning the hug, her eyes now taking on a joyous look rather than the downcast stare they were before.

Tala stayed rooted to the spot. He wasn't really paying attention to any of the conversation going around; his attention was fixed on Mariah who was in conversation with her friend. He couldn't believe the hold she had on him, when she smiled his stomach fluttered slightly and the sight of her was too beautiful beyond belief. She was his everything, any movement or word she made had such an effect on him it was almost as if his existence was solely based on her. It confused him and there was one thing Tala hated and that was to be confused. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his teammates starting to head back, most likely to the hotel. He had to leave and evaluate this new discovery, so he did the only thing he felt was best, he turned around and left not noticing the distressed look in Mariah's eyes as he did.

* * *

Mariah sighed as she dipped her tired feet into the pool. The day has been very eventful and she was grateful to have a few moments alone to herself. She couldn't believe how she lost it at seeing Tala not to mention just when she thought he was about to come over and speak to her, he walked off. Not that she could blame him; after all didn't she do the same? Still, it wasn't as if he was about to have a major breakdown as she was about to.

'_Riah, you are doing it again,' _she thought_, 'Calm, relaxed and natural, isn't that what we said.'_

Try telling her mind that though, or her heart. Sighing, she moved her feet _aimlessly_ in the water creating random patterns. She was happy but she was also glum. The fact that she was here at the World Tournament should be enough, she wasn't stuck back at her village no matter how much she loved the place, and she was here in America. The place she once could only dream of visiting but it wasn't enough. She wanted Tala, sure, he was here but she wanted him, she couldn't deny it. She cared for him deeply, though she hadn't seen him for a year through his letters and from that kiss last year not to mention the events, she felt closer than ever to him. She was in love with him. How could she not be? He was everything she wanted and more.

Shaking her head, she looked up at the clouds, hoping to find some instructions as to what she was meant to do now. Time and patience, is what Hilary had told her, when the girl had enquired as why she was looking so downcast. She was very lucky to have friends she could rely on here, back in the village; she didn't have many female friends, as she was mainly hanging out with the boys and blading.

How on earth am I to be patient, she thought as she kept glancing into the sky. She was the most impatient person there ever was. Laughing slightly, she looked over her shoulder as she heard footsteps behind her. As they came into her vision, she felt her laugh catch in the throat. It was Tala and his teammates.

'_Calm down Mariah_,' she though panicky as she felt the heat rush to her face. '_Calm, collected and … oh the hell with calm, how am I meant to be calm when he is there?'_

"Tala," she greeted, trying to keep her voice normal and not shaky. "Boris, Spencer,' she continued even though from the looks of things, the latter two barely even acknowledged her. _'Annoying idiots,' she seethed inside._

"Hello Mariah," Tala responded. Mariah literally had to clamp her teeth shut to prevent her from shivering at his voice, "How are you?"

"I am fine thank you," hating the formal tone of the conversation but what else could she do? "Yourself? I hope your journey was pleasant." She added.

"It was fine," he answered absently. He was about to ask her another question when he heard Spencer say, "We are going to find the beyblade courts, are you coming?"

Tala looked at his teammate, also noticing the look that Byran was giving Mariah. Keeping his temper, he answered, "I will catch up with you in a bit."

As his teammates walked on, Tala was slightly worried at the look Byran had been giving Mariah, it was an interested look and Tala didn't like it one bit. Sighing, he walked over to where Mariah was and sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry."

Startled he looked over at the feline girl, wondering why she was apologizing.

"What?" he heard himself ask?

"I'm sorry that I walked off before when I first saw you. I-I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure, if you wanted me to talk to you in front of everyone or if you wanted me to keep a distance. And so I panicked a bit and I so I … left" Mariah drifted off slightly at the end, yes she had eliminate the fact that she was also about to have a panic attack because his very essence blew her away but it wasn't exactly the sort of thing you confessed.

She felt her breathe catch again as he smiled at her. Smiling back at him, she felt any troubles or uncertainty slip away. When he smiled like that at her, everything seemed too faded away.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, not about to admit that he had the same fears.

"So, how are you, really?" She asked him, placing her hands on his arms and drawing his gaze to meet hers.

"Tired. Worried. There is something not right about this competition and I worried that you might get hurt." He answered, not realising that he had revealed more that he meant to.

Happy inside at the concern he had for her, she asked him, "Why do you think that? Is there something we don't know about? Is … is it _Boris_?"

The name itself drew such anger within of him that he felt his fists tighten as he clenched them harder. "I don't know," he stated, closing his eyes at the gasp from the girl next to him. "But I promise you, if it is him I will never let him come anywhere near you. I would never let anyone hurt you regardless of what happens to me."

"No Tala," Mariah said as she shook her had and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I could never live if anything happened to you, you must never allow yourself to be harmed for my sake. Anything that happens we will face together. I couldn't bare it if you were hurt. I care too much about you."

Blushing slightly at the confession, Mariah let her gaze drift down to the floor and started to drop her hand away from Tala. Before they fell completely, Tala grabbed her hands, brought them back to his face, and drew his head towards her.

"I care too." He whispered as his breath drafted across her face, lightly lifting her bangs from her face. He could see the small blush on her face and smiled as her eyes shyly looked up at his. Holding her close to him, he could feel the emotions roll of them both.

Stroking her face with his fingers, he smiled lazily and he brushed his fingers against her eyes.

"I care about you." He said before drawing his head down and catching her in a soul-searching kiss.

He could feel the passion hit him full force as the chemistry around them electrified. Drawing her even closer, he increased the kiss as his hands wrapped around the back of her head holding her in place.

Mariah felt as if she had been shown the gates to heaven, no she was in heaven. She grabbed Tala's arms and she tried to bring herself as close to him as possible. It was too much, the feelings, the emotions, the heat and she was drowning in it fast. She had never felt like this before, this kiss was different to last year. The last one was shy as new feelings were being confessed and discovered, this was staggering. She wanted more. Breaking the kiss to breathe, she sighed shakily as the fervour felt like raindrops hitting them physically. Still holding onto his arms, she looked up at Tala, who was staring at her, a slight wonderment and slightly confused look across his face.

She brushed her fingers against his brow, drawing his gaze to her. Shyly she held his gaze before confessing. "I'm scared."

Not hearing a reply she continued, "It's so new; I've never felt anything like this before. I don't know what to do, I don't know how I am meant to act or say. All I know is that I want to be with you."

Tala drew her into a hug as she continued, "But we will be okay won't we. It's still so new to us both; we just have to take it slow. I know it's going to be hard, since we are both in different teams and this being a competition. Not to mention everything else outside the competition but we will take it slow and see what each day brings, right?"

Seeing him smile at her, Mariah knew she had everything she wanted.

"Will your team members be okay with this?"

"Yes, although I can't tell what Lee would say. I know he likes you after last year but he is my brother and... Oh my god, Lee! What time is it? I am meant to be at the beyblade courts and I am not there. Which means that everyone else knows and I am not there and then when they all realise you aren't there either then..."

She trailed of, as Tala snorted, "I don't care what they think. All that matters is you."

Grinning, she beamed at him and grabbed his hands to pull him towards the direction of the beyblade courts.

"Come on then. Let's face them together."

Nodding, Tala allowed himself to be lead. He was happy yet still so confused. He couldn't understand what it was about this girl that made him feel like this. Even though he said he didn't care about what anyone said about him, he didn't want his teammates to know how he felt towards the girl or even worse her brother. It's as Mariah said, they need to take it slow and take one day at a time.

He couldn't even think beyond that, he was just happy to walk with her and listen to chat away about ideal gossip. He was sure this is what being content felt like.

* * *

Deep in heart of Russia, evil was at work.

"Sir," a man wearing a purple robe stated, "I can confirm that Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov have both left for the Beyblade tournament. I have the photos to confirm." The man placed the photos on the desk in front of him before leaving.

"Excellent," grinned Boris as he picked up the photos in front of him. "They have taken the bait and now I will watch as they are humiliated and defeated by my new team."

Looking through the photos he stopped as a certain one caught his eye.

"So it seems Tala that you didn't listen to anything I taught you. You kept on to your weakness instead of eliminating it." Still staring at the photo of Tala and Mariah locked in an embrace, he continued darkly, "And now I am going to destroy you, just like you tried to destroy me." Throwing back his head, he laughed loudly, ignoring the strange looks from his workers. _'It now begins.'_

_TBC_

I would love it if you left a review. Helps me to see if anyone is still reading this fic! Chapter 3 is already in the works focusing more on the other characters and of course Tala/Mariah.


	3. Chapter 3

Re uploaded this chapter as it wasn't showing up properly for some reason!

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, this time with an old evil lurking in the background. Teams are forming and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Pairings**: Tala/Mariah. Emily/Max and Kai/Hilary (maybe)

**Rating**: PG-13/T (for now, will go up to M)

**Notes**: Rating will eventually go up to M. In addition, this fic does not follow the G-Rev universe. Also with the Beyblading, I am not going to have them first fight the Barthez Battalion and then BEGA; it's going to be sort of all in one. And different people will have to pair with up each other in the competition. Also yes, I am going to have Mariah beyblade probably with Emily as a teammate. Come on the girls can beyblade as well!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bakuten Shoot Beyblades or any other recognised characters; they are all copyrighted to their respective owners.

Tempting Fate (Sequel to Rescue Me)

Chapter 3

By Kaz.

Lee glanced around the court for the umpteenth. Mariah had said she would meet them at the courts but that was over 2 hours ago. '_Where is she?'_ he thought worriedly. Ever since the events of last year, Lee had been extra protective of Mariah. He would never forget the fear of when she had been kidnapped. If anything happened to her, well it was unthinkable and he would never be able to forgive himself. "Come on Mariah, where are you?"he mumbled again, as he looked around the courts again. Everyone was there, PPB All Starz, BBA Revolution, Neo Borg, Majestics, and some new teams that he had only just met. He smiled as he looked around the room and saw many of his friends. Everyone seemed so happy and excited. It was a new tournament and new teams as well as new friendships had been formed. He couldn't wait to start but his first thoughts were on his sister. He had also noticed that while Spencer, Kai and Bryan were present, Tala was not. '_I bet they are both together_.' He thought, not knowing how right he was.

He still couldn't believe that his sister had fallen for Tala. Of course, he knew she liked him, despite her, '_it's only friendship'_ nonsense. However, being the over protective brother he was, it was his duty to disapprove and glare at any boy who his sister liked. Which he planned to do in full force to the red-haired boy once they came to the court. Glancing towards the entranceway again, he felt the relief hit him as his sister entered, not failing to notice that he was right, and that a certain redhead was with her or the fact that they were holding hands.

Smiling gleefully inside at uncomfortable look that was now present on Tala's face as everyone in the court focused their attention on the unlikely pair, Lee waved Mariah over. Mariah failing to realise the fact that everyone's interest was fixed on her, hurried along to where her teammates were. She waved back at Lee not noticing the knowing smiles on everyone's faces as she past.

"Sorry I am late, I was held up and lost track of time." She explained to Lee forgetting that she still held on to Tala.

"Hmm, or more like Tala made you forget. What were you doing making out?" Kevin laughed as Mariah blushed from head to toe as the statement from Kevin made while all her teammates laughed at the jibe.

'_Why, oh why can't I have decent, mature teammates? Ones who don't embarrass me,'_ Mariah thought as she clenched her hands into Tala's hold tightly.

Tala however, glared at the impish boy and was about to launch his own response when he heard his teammate Kai say, "You've wasted enough time. Come on we need to practise." Tala sighed as he reluctantly let go of Mariah's hand and followed his teammate. Giving her a quick smile, he whispered that he would meet her later. Nodding, she smiled at him but not before giving Kai a glare, '_Wasting time,'_ she thought angrily, _'Typical Kai.'_

"He's right Mariah, we need to practise. Come on." Rei said, frowning somewhat. Even though he knew about Tala and Mariah, he was still concerned. He would never forget what happened when Mariah was kidnapped. Just like, he would never forget what Bryan and Boris did. He might forgive but he would never forget. Sighing, Mariah glanced once more at Tala who was completely engrossed in his battle with Spencer she followed her brother and began to watch the match between Gary and Rei.

"Now, what's a pretty girl like you frowning for?"

Shocked, Mariah looked up into a pair of brown eyes. Bemused, she looked at the boy, who grinned at her with a lazy smile.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm not, l quite like talking to pretty girls." Laughing at her eyes widening, he continued, "The name is Rick. Rick Anderson."

"Well, hello then Rick Anderson." Laughing, she shook his offered hand, and then asked, "Which team are you with?"

"I guess that currently, I blade with the All Starz," he answered.

"All Starz? Then that means, oh my god Emily!" She shrieked, not caring at the boys covering their ears at the high-pitched wail.

"Emily," she cried again as she ran towards the girl and grabbed her in a hug.

"Riah!" Emily cried happily as the clasped hands and spun around in a circle. "I am so happy to see you again!"

"Me too, I can't believe how long it's been. "

Happily, they continued their conversation whilst moving towards a corner so they could continue their conversation in private.

"So," Emily started, "How are you? Can you believe it, a new tournament? I am so excited!"

"Me too! I cannot wait for it to begin. I still can't believe that I am here in America! There are so many places I want to visit but there is no time." She added sadly.

Emily smirked before saying, "Well, maybe Tala can show you around?" She teased before laughing at Mariah's flushed face.

"Emily!"

"What? Riah, I do have eyes no matter how high my glasses power is and I did see you were both holding hands! Now come on, fess up. You and Tala, what is going on?"

"Nothing," she started before admitting, "We kissed."

"What, when?"

"… Just now."

Mariah almost laughed at Emily expression. "I couldn't help it Em. I know I keep saying we are friends but I like him so much. I just can't imagine what I would do without him. I know that sounds so over the top but each time I wrote him a letter I felt myself falling in love with him again each time. I love him Em, I really do and I am so scared."

"Oh Riah, of course your scared. How amazing is this, I can never even begin to imagine what it feels like. But you're in love, what a wonderful experience!"

"I know I still can't believe it."

"So how's it going to work? I mean you are competing against each other. You both okay with that?"

"I know but we are going to take it slow. I just hope that nothing happens like last time."

"It won't Riah," Emily said as she tried to sooth the girl's fears, "That freak is behind bars and can't ever hurt you again."

"I hope you're right Em, I really do."

Tala sighed as Kai and Bryan finished their match. His gaze wondered to where the White Tigers were training, frowning as he saw some unknown man converse with Mariah.

"Who's that?" He asked pointing at the boy.

"He's the new blader for the All Starz," Kai replied as he recalled Dranzer, the match over.

"Hmm," Tala responded, not liking the way he was leaning in close to Mariah.

"Are you going to fly into a jealous rage or something?" Kai asked disgusted at the way his teammate was behaving about a girl.

"Of course not, just as long as he knows to watch his step." Tala replied before covering his ears as a Mariah screamed. Startled he turned around, only to see his girl dancing with the girl from the All Starz. Relived he looked away, managing to catch Kai's last comment.

"Pathetic."

_Yeah, he really was._

_

* * *

_

"The matches are being announced tomorrow," Kai, stated looking at the document sent by the Beyblade commissioning boards. "They are going to announce the line-up tomorrow morning by splitting up each teams into different groups with the winners of each group facing the other winning groups."

"That's good, what time do we have to be there tomorrow?" Tala asked, while reaching out to grab the file from Kai.

"It starts at 10; we should get there for 9. I want to check the place out as well and look over some teams."

"Cool, I'll make sure Bryan and Spencer knows. So what are the plans for the rest of today then?" Tala asked, as he leaned back in his chair. "I think we should practise some more?"

"No, they have put a curfew on training for today. According to them, today should be about meeting the new teams at this stupid meet and greet party. They don't want anyone to tire themselves out before the start tomorrow. Obviously, that for the weak bladers sake but this party sounds like a dumb idea. We have no time to be wasting and they are making us attend some stupid party," Kai scoffed, his mood souring at the fact he couldn't practise some more today.

"It's so obvious they are scared some fools will tire themselves out and then cause a fuss at the fact they couldn't handle it." Tala agreed. "Wait, what party is this? Do we all have to attend?"

"Yes," Kai gritted his teeth at the thought of having to spend time with people he didn't want to. "It's a stupid idea designed to try and make us make friends. Moreover, what makes it even worse is that it's formal dress wear. Humph."

Tala shook his head in mirth at his friend's antics. _'Hmm a party, I guess that means Mariah will be there.' _Tala smiled at the thought; suddenly the party didn't seem as bad to him, though he still would prefer not to go.

Sighing, Tala decided that he would find the girl of his thoughts, after all from tomorrow he wasn't sure how much time they would spend together. "I'm going for a walk," he mentioned to his teammate as he lifted himself from his chair.

"I'll walk with you; I want to see if Rei has heard anymore about the tournament."

"Ok. Wait, how did you know that I was planning to go see the White Tigers?" Tala narrowed his eyes at his teammate, who rolled his eyes in response.

"As I said, _pathetic_."

Tala ignored the dig as he walked out the door and headed to the floor where the White Tigers rooms were located.

* * *

"Party!" cried Hilary as she; BBA revolution and the White Tigers listened to Hiro as he read out the BBA letter. Everyone was currently hanging out in the lounge near to where two teams were staying. Mariah smiled as Hilary danced around the room, exclaiming that she would finally get to show off her new fairy dress. _'Really,'_ thought Mariah, '_despite being a tomboy, Hilary does like to dress up once in a while. Plus at least she isn't that messy.'_Since they were the only two teams who knew each other and were located close together in the huge hotel, both Mariah and Hilary decided to share a connecting room. If Mariah had to share a bathroom with anyone, she would rather share it with Hilary than one of the boys. '_Hmm, however, I wonder what I should wear?' _she thought smiling, '_and if everyone has to be there, then that means Tala will be there!'_ Grinning widely now and lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the door open or who entered in.

"Hey Kai, what are you doing here!" cried Tyson, happy to see his old teammate.

"Humph, we decided to see if you had any more information on the tournament tomorrow," was the reply.

Mariah shook herself out of her thoughts as she finally realised Tala has entered the room. Smiling at him as he sat down next to her, she ignored the grins from Hilary.

"Hmm, must be love. He sat down next to you in front of everyone," whispered Hilary to Mariah, whilst giving her a small nudge.

"Shush, it's the only available seat! Stop being so immature," Mariah whispered back.

"Oh please, I am at the age where I am meant to be immature, besides if I really wanted to immature I could tell him you mumble his name in your sleep."

"I do not!" Mariah replied horrified, "Shush, he will hear!"

"Yes you do, the amount of times I hear you mention his name." Hilary joked back, laughing as Mariah turned a deep pink colour.

"Do you really?"

Mariah and Hilary both jumped and looked at Tala who was grinning. Hilary began to snicker while Mariah, who was mortified replied back saying, "Of course not, she is just being stupid!"

"Anyway," Mariah continued to Tala, while giving Hilary an evil glare, "Which group do you think you will be in?"

"Don't care," Tala, replied, "I know we will win our group no matter who we face."

"Arrogant much?" laughed Mariah as she added coyly, "You won't if you're facing the White Tigers! Lee and Rei would win for sure!"

"No they wouldn't, they would lose," Tala joked back, before adding quietly, "Might be a different case if you were battling though."

Mariah laughed at the flirty statement as Tala grinned back before turning back to listen to the conversation around them.

"Which teams so far have you seen that look good?" Rei asked Kenny and Daichi.

Daichi, who was too busy eating, ignored Rei but Kenny replied back saying that he was collecting data on all the teams and so far, no teams looked like much a challenge. "I don't have much information on that team BEGA though. We will have to watch out for them."

"BEGA, SMEGA. Doesn't matter what team it is, we will beat them right Daichi?" Tyson exclaimed and smiled as his teammate agreed and gave him a thumbs up. The other members of the room shock their heads and the confidence of the two bladers as the conversation began to turn to the party held later on today.

"Well I was told that they had to do a party in order to keep the peace due to some countries!" Kenny said wide-eyed.

"What, who brings politics into a beyblading tournament?" Lee asked

"Actually that is no surprise," answered Hiro, "Countries are determined to get recognition in any way they can. As long as they let the bladers enjoy the competition and not bring in their politics to destroy the fun we should be ok."

"That's why they are having a formal party at the start and at the end of the tournament." Lee said, while shaking his head at the thought of how many parties he would be forced to attend.

"Speaking of fun," Hilary began, "Mariah and I need to go choose what we are wearing so, excuse us boys." And with that, she dragged Mariah out of room, ignoring the dark looks from certain members within the room.

* * *

"I really think you should wear the blue dress," Mariah began as Hilary held up the garment to her body and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Do you think?" Hilary asked as stared into the mirror. "It's not a bit too much?"

"Nah," replied Mariah, "It's very beautiful."

It was, deep blue in colour with a full skirt, it ended just past her knees. Thick blue straps held the garment up and it was decorated with silver flowers. It was a beautiful dress.

"And we will put your hair up in a really nice style; maybe you could even straighten it and keep it down?"

"Oh I would really like that! So how about you, what are you going to wear? And if I if I have to wear a dress then so do you!"

Mariah laughed as she calmed the girl down, "I am thinking of wearing the white dress I have. The one that has the white beads design by the shoulder."

"That is a very beautiful dress; I really think you should wear that one." Hilary said before adding sneakily, "I bet Tala would love it."

"Oh hush you! I can't believe you embarrassed me so much in front of him. Really."

"Oh please, it was too funny not to say anything. Besides you are no longer single, therefore it is my duty to all single girls to make you feel bad so we can feel better."

Mariah sighed at her friend before looking at herself in the mirror again,_ 'Hilary is right, I am no longer single.' _Shaking her head, she shook herself out of such thoughts before picking up the pillow near to her. "Well in that case," she said while edging towards Hilary who was backing off, "It's my duty to defend my status." And, with that, she lunged at her friend who screamed while hastily grabbing her own pillow, their screams and laughter sounding through the whole hotel.

* * *

"I hate wearing a suit," Daichi moaned as he pulled at his collar.

"Shush, "cried Hilary as she scanned around the room, her dress shimmering against the lights. The dress had been the right choice, she thought as she gleaned around the room. Everyone was dressed in their best, apart from a certain few who decided that less was better and looked heavily indecent.

She had decided to keep her hair down and straight like Mariah had suggested, only wear a bit of lip-gloss and small butterfly necklace with matching earrings as her only accessories.

"Can you see Mariah or Emily?" She asked Kenny, "I can't see any of them."

"I can see Emily by Max." Kenny replied and then added, "They are sat with their team other there."

"Cool, Max, hey MAXIE!" Cried Tyson as he bombarded over to where they PPB All Starz were sat, ignoring Hilary who was practically dying of embarrassment as everyone turned to look at the Beyblade champion.

"Grr, stupid Tyson," she cried as she made her way towards Emily with much more dignity than her teammate.

"Em, you look gorgeous," Hilary exclaimed as she gave her friend a once over. Emily was wearing an orange skirt with a white top with a sequin design.

"Thanks, I didn't fancy wearing a dress. You look lovely as well."

Hilary smiled before asking, "Have you seen Riah?"

"She told me that she was going to be a bit late, she is with you know who."

"Ah I see," Hilary replied before they both shared a smile.

* * *

Mariah sighed as she looked in the mirror at her attire. She was wearing a white prom dress, with a small white satin belt at the waist. There was an artful array of pearly white beads in the shape of a flower on the right side of the shoulder going down to the bodice. Smoothing the dress down with her hands, she flicked a small thread away before turning to look at herself from the side. She has decided to plait her hair in a fish tail style on the side. "He should be here anytime now," she mumbled, trying to control her nerves. "He did say he would meet me here at 6.30." She breathed deeply trying to control the flutter of butterflies in her stomach. "You know, I would have thought I would stop getting so nervous around him but it still feels like this each time." She started to pace around the room when a knock on the door startled her. Hurrying, she opened the door and smiled as Tala leaned against the frame.

"Hello, you." She said, as he drew her into a hug.

"You look beautiful," he said before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss.

"You look very handsome yourself." Mariah replied, beaming at him. Tala was dressed in a black dress shirt and pants with a silver tie. He smiled at the compliment. She loved it when it was just the two of them, this was the only time when Tala really let down his guard and was comfortable with her.

"Let's go, I want this thing over with as soon as possible."

"Oh hush, it will be fun, I can't wait."

"Let's walk around the back, where the pool is. I don't really want to bump into loads of annoying newbie's."

Mariah laughed before teasing, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought, you were too embarrassed to me seen with me! Well I might just leave and… "

She was shocked as Tala stopped suddenly, "Tala?" She began as she saw the expression on Tala's face, "I was only joking and…"

"You know I would never be embarrassed by you. If you ever leave me I would…" Tala shook his head as he grabbed onto Mariah's arms.

"I'm sorry, I was only teasing. I am not going anywhere," she whispered as she drew him into a hug.

"I can't help it Mariah and I can't explain it. I've never felt this way before and it's driving me crazy. I don't know what to do."

Mariah said nothing as she closed her eyes and drew him even closer. Tala stroked her hair as he calmed himself down, just the thought of her leaving, he wouldn't be able to stand it and so he let himself enjoy the peace of moment. Nothing else mattered not when it was just them two.

* * *

Lee felt that he was a good brother, sure he teased his younger sister and lectured her once and in while but what brother didn't. I mean, he even let her go off with a guy he didn't full trust! Well to be honest he would never trust any boy when it came to Mariah but still, that wasn't the point. The point was that his sister was missing, again. Surely, she should have been here by now, after all it wasn't far from the party to their room.

"Have you seen her yet?" Lee asked Rei again, sighing whilst the other boy shook his head.

"Right, I am going to find them," he stated as he made he started to make his way to the door.

"Wait Lee," Rei said, as he grabbed his friends arm. "Mariah isn't stupid, she will come here."

"She is with Tala. And you're saying not stupid?"

Rei laughed at his friends annoyed expression. "Trust her, Lee."

"I do, it's him I don't. Right I will give her 2 more minutes before I go and look for her."

"She's just walked in the door," Kevin replied, pointing to the entrance with his fork. '_Thank God,' _Lee thought, as he made his way towards his sister, only to stop as he say another man intercept the couple. _'Interesting,'_ thought Lee as he watched the scene play out.

Mariah was stunned. Looking up at the white haired boy, she blinked as her mind began to unravel the question, whilst also becoming aware of the fact that Tala was increasing the pressure on her hand he was holding.

"I'm sorry?"

Rick grinned as he remembered their first meeting, "As I said before, I'm not. I like pretty girls. So anyway, as I asked before, wanna dance?"

Mariah winched as she felt Tala dig his nails into her hand and clench his teeth tightly.

"Um," she began looking at Tala, "I don't think I should." She faded off as she saw that her friends had begun to approach the three of them.

Tala was pissed; no, he was really pissed off. Who the hell was this moron and how dare he ask his girl to dance. Now he had two choices, he could let either Mariah go off and dance with this bloke or he could say no, and sock this guy one in the face. He really wanted to do the latter, he did but unfortunately, he also noticed that his teammates as well as other rivals were watching the whole scene and he didn't want to look like he was under the thumb. It didn't matter that he was, there were certain things you don't reveal to your competitions and acting like a jealous puppy wasn't one of them.

"It's fine." He mumbled as he let go of Mariah's hand to cross him arms, "go."

"What?" Mariah asked perplexed.

"I don't care, go." Tala responded in a monotone voice, before turning his head.

Mariah seethed inside, _'What the hell was he playing at?'_

He was acting as if he didn't care about what she did. He was acting she decided like a complete and utter idiot.

"Fine then," she said as she grabbed Rick's hand and marched away from the redhead. '_Stupid, annoying, typical arrogant so and so.' _She raged inside as her thoughts showed on her face.

"So, I take it that look of murder isn't for me? Well I hope it's not." Rick smiled as he led Mariah into a dance.

Mariah blinked, as she comprehended what Rick was saying before smiling at him. "No, sorry I am just a little annoyed at Tala. Why is it that boys say one thing but mean another?"

"It's our macho pride. We can never truly say what we are feeling inside; you girls would tease us to the death if we did. You girls can be a vicious lot"

Mariah laughed at confession. She liked Rick, she really did. He made her smile and she hoped that they would be friends.

"I don't want to lead you on but there is something you should know." Mariah began as she felt she should clarify the situation, "Tala and I, we are, well we are, sort of, kind of... Well you see."

"Yeah I got it. Doesn't mean that I still can't talk to you and hell, flirting with a pretty girl is just how I am. It would be a crime not to."

"Rick!" Mariah chided as she laughed at the boy. Shaking her head, she allowed herself to be twirled around the dance floor. Happy she looked over at her friends, who waved at her and smiled. Mariah beamed back before her eyes focused on Tala and gave him a small glare. He was sat with his teammates, a scowl evident on his face. His eyes met her and Mariah gasped quietly as she saw the emotions held within his eyes.

Softening her expression, Mariah let her annoyance fade away. She knew that Tala wasn't as open with his feelings, especially not in front of other people. It was a challenge for him to open up to her when they were alone and so in front of anyone else could take centuries. Feeling slightly guilty, she realised that she must be patient when it came to Tala, just as Hilary said. He wasn't normal; he wasn't like the other boys. He hadn't had a loving upbringing and he had a hard time showing any weakness in front of anyone, especially his teammates. She shouldn't expect too much of him, she explained inside her head, he's changed so much since the tournament in Russia. Things took time and she had to wait. It didn't matter how hard it was, if something was worth it then the waiting doesn't matter, not one bit. She looked at Rick and saw that he was staring intently at her. She sighed deeply before saying, "Rick, I shouldn't have danced with you. As I said, I am with Tala, whether or not he wants to admit it. I don't mind being your friend but nothing more, I know he won't like if you flirt with me so I don't think you should, okay?"

Mariah felt relived as Rick smiled at her showing he wasn't annoyed or angry. Feeling happy, she enjoyed that last of the dance as the music ended.

"I should go now." She said as she turned to walk to Tala, who was looking over at her.

"Wait, I will walk with you." He said and before she could say anything to defer him, he grabbed her hand and walked towards Tala. She smiled as she approached him, letting him understand that she wasn't angry. She turned towards to Rick to thank him for the dance, when she was stunned as Rick swift placed a small kiss on her cheek whilst whispering in her ear, "You said not to flirt so I didn't, I kissed you instead."

Mariah sighed as she could visibly see the steam coming from Tala.

'_Men. There is no reasoning with them.'_

_TBC_

Thank you all for the reviews; it was a pleasure reading them. I would love some more! :D

Thanks also to everyone who put this fic on favs! Look out for chapter 4, which should be coming soon, hopefully. Just as a note, I've been re-watching G-Rev, why did they make Lee such a crap blader? Lee is good dammit!


	4. Chapter 4

So I found an old lemon I wrote on these two set in this timeline. I decided that I am going to work towards that. I doubt I will add a lemon in this fic however; the tone is going to change and become more adult. I will post a link to that fic but please remember I did write it like 5 years back.

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, this time with an old evil lurking in the background. Teams are forming and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Pairings**: Tala/Mariah. Max/Emily

**Rating**: PG-13/T (for now, will go up to M)

**Notes**: Start of the beyblading matches now. I am going to have to girl's pair up to form a beyblading team. Moreover, yes, I ripped the name of their group from my other fic, lol. I was stuck for a name idea. In addition, I did make the girls **strong and better bladers**. Personally, I think they can do it. In addition, all main characters in this are 17-18+.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bakuten Shoot Beyblades or any other recognised characters; they are all copyrighted to their respective owners.

Tempting Fate (Sequel to Rescue Me)

Chapter 4

By Kaz.

The stadium was pulsating with the sounds of excitement and chatter. Today was the start of the tournament and despite the early hour, it was full to the brim of people, wanting to blade and watching the matches. Everywhere groups of people stood, their conversations animated with the speculation of what teams were in which group and who would be the first. Bladers who were not the in tournament were practising on the demo dishes readying themselves for next year's match. The atmosphere was joyous and energetic.

Emily however, paid no attention as she ran through the building. She couldn't believe what she had just been told. The news was amazing, completely unexpected but fantastic none the less. However, she needed to find Mariah and fast. She needed to get the papers back to Mr Dickerson before 9.30, otherwise this incredible news would be irrelevant. Thankfully, it was only 8.30 am at present and the hotel wasn't far from the stadium. Despite the lack of sleep she had, Emily kept up at a steady pace her mind drifting back to the conversation she had a few moments ago.

"_What? What do mean?" She cried, amazed not thinking she had heard properly._

"_Yes Miss York. Currently, there are 8 groups of teams yet only 7 of those groups have four teams in them. The eighth group only has three teams since one team had to pull out due to an unfortunate delay of their flight and it is too late now to send for a new team. Besides, the BBA are concerned that there aren't that many dominate female bladers, currently the only female bladers are not the first two choices for their teams and so I would like to see a female group. Yes, the tournament isn't about gender but it's also about acknowledgement and looking for the best, plus, Miss Wong and yourself are very good bladers and it's a shame you don't have a chance to show it. Therefore, I am going to give you a chance. If you like, I can place you and Miss Wong in team. What do you think?"_

_Emily was gobsmacked, she really had wanted to blade in this tournament but it had been decided that Rick and Max would blade for the team much to the annoyance of Michael. She didn't even get a chance to put her name forward since everyone assumed that she was better collecting information than blading. They didn't realise that blading was her dream; sure, she loved collecting information to help her team with their matches but the feeling during a beyblade match it was something out of this world. The adrenaline, the passion, the __**need**__ to win, well there were no words that could describe it. She loved it and it was an addiction. She couldn't believe that Mr Dickerson was about to make her dream come true._

"_Oh my god, of course I would love that. Mariah too but I need to go tell her and then oh my god, oh my god."_

"_Yes of course Miss Wong must be informed, plus you need to fill out the paperwork. I need all this information by 9.30. Even one second after that means, you will not be able to enter. Do I make myself clear?"_

"_YES! Oh my god thank you, I am going to find Mariah now. Thank you, thank you so much!"_

_Emily ran out of the building, while screaming in excitement inside, she needed to find Mariah and fast. This was an opportunity that didn't come around often and she knew that this was their chance. Now all she needed to do was find Mariah._

Emily shook her head out of her thoughts as she approached the hotel where they were all staying. Not even bothering to look where she was going, she ran in a dead heat towards the elevator door accidentally pushing someone to the ground.

"Oh no, I am so sorry," she cried, shocked as she was shook out of her mission.

"Hey, it's okay Emily. Is everything ok?"

"MAX! Oh no, I am so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going and oh no, I need to find Mariah." Emily ran into the lift, nearly running over the Neo Borgs.

"Watch it," Bryan exclaimed as he was nearly shoved to the side. Kai and Tala watched the girl as Max ran after her screaming at her to wait.

"I can't stop, I need to find Mariah," she cried back.

'_Mariah?_' thought Tala as his eyes narrowed. He wondered what could have possibly happened that had Mariah's friend so worked up. Ignoring Kai, he followed Max and Emily as they made their way to Mariah's room. Kai annoyed at the fact that that his teammate decided to ditch practise to chase after that orange head, scowled, before following them all back into the lift as the doors closed.

Emily barely even realised that Max was asking her 'what was wrong' or that she had also picked up team Neo Borg on the way, all she could do was stamp her foot while trying to mentally make the lift go faster. Sighing, she turned her head, almost goggling at the fact of seeing Tala and lost her step. She was lucky that Max caught her as she nearly fell.

"Thanks," she blushed as Max smiled at her. He was so cute when he did that. Ahem.

"It's okay but are you going to tell me what you are is such a rush about? I've never seen you so worked up. Come on Emily, is everything okay, I am worried about you." Max replied, his eyes showing the concern he had for the orange haired girl, who was turning a deep shade of red.

"It's Mr Dickerson," she replied, catching the attention of all members in the lift. "He said that we, that Mariah and I… Oh my god what time is it, I need to find Mariah!" She screeched as the doors opened. Not paying any more attention to the boys, she ran out of the lift, heading dead straight to the White Tiger's door and promptly started to bang on the door, screaming Mariah's name. The whole scene was rather funny, it was just lucky that the boys were more concerned at what was happening rather than the sight.

"Mariah, Mariah. Open up, now. I need to tell you something quick and I can't wait. Come on open up." Emily exclaimed, knocking the door even harder. She didn't care that she had managed to wake up everyone on the floor or that the other teams, meaning the BBA Revolution and White Tigers, all of whom were all now staring at the girl from their respective rooms. All that mattered was letting Mariah know.

"What's going on?" Daichi cried, his eyes still full of sleep.

"Yeah Max, what's going on?" Tyson asked while yawning deeply.

"I have no idea, I am really worried. Emily isn't herself right now."

Emily ignored the boys as she continued to knock on the door. _'Come on Riah, time is wasting.'_

_

* * *

_

Mariah felt as if a herd of elephants were stamping at her door. Shocked, she woke up scared out of her wits, her eyes widening as she heard Emily scream her name. _'What the hell?' _She thought, as she got out of bed, noticing that Hilary had also woken up and was now at her inside door.

"What's going on Mariah?" Hilary asked, yawning.

"I am not sure," Mariah replied as the knocking increased.

"Come on Riah, open up now. This is life or death." She heard Emily cry. Forgetting that she was in her pyjama shorts, she rushed to the door opening it, while screaming, "Oh my God Emily, what's wrong? Are you ok? What's happened? Are you hurt?" Hilary too had come up behind the girls and was asking the same question.

"No, it's nothing like that but get a load of this. Mr Dickerson wants you and me to team up and blade in the tournament!"

The entire floor went quiet as they processed the information that Emil had just said. Mariah felt the blood rush from her face, was Emily serious? Blade in the competition? Her? Was she good enough? She would be up against all the teams and most importantly, her own team. She gazed at Emily, trying to see if the girl was joking. When it became apparent, she wasn't, Mariah felt her heart beat increase rapidly. "Are you," she mumbled, "Really? Us blade together but we've never blade together, how, what, oh my god."

"I know Riah, I was totally taken back when Mr Dickerson suggested it but then he said something, which made me believe we can do this. This tournament is about finding the best, how can we find that if we don't try? We can so do this, you know I love to blade and I know you do as well. I know we haven't blade together and I know it's so such short notice but I know you feel the same about blading as I do. I was so annoyed when I couldn't' blade, but more than annoyed I was hurt. I've always wanted to blade and when we lost in the world champions last year I felt like I wasn't good enough but I am and so are you. We need to try. Come on Riah."

Mariah smiled at Emily's speech, she was so lucky to have good friend like her. In addition, as for her question, like there was any doubt. "Emily you don't need to convince me. I know we can do this; sure, I was shocked at first but more at the fact that they considered us first. I don't care what people think, we can so do this! We are going to win!"

Emily smiled at Mariah before grabbing her in a bone-crushing hug, which the girl happily retuned. "Oh my god we are going to be in the competition!" Emily cried, her eyes tearing over. "I know I can't believe it," Mariah said, while grabbing Hilary as all three girls clasped hands and danced in a circle. "Girls rule!" they chirped and gave each other a high five.

"Well I am glad they are happy," Tyson said while shaking his head.

"All that fuss, I could have slept longer," Daichi cried, while going back into this room.

Lee ignored the boys, he was happy for his sister he was but he was also a bit apprehensive of her leaving the team and blading against them. Sighing, he knew he would never forbid her to leave; Mariah needed to make her own choice and her own life. She wanted to blade then who was he to stop her? Chuckling, he laughed as the girls shot questions at each other and continued to be as loud as they possibly could.

Tala was in a state of shock, ignoring his teammate who was rather indifferent to the news; he complemented the information in his head. He knew that he should be happy for her but he was worried, there were many teams out there who were harsh in their blading. After all, his team could be considered to be one of them, moreover, what if she got hurt. Not to mention that if his suspicions were correct and Boris had come back, well then they would all have to be careful. Sighing he knew he would never stop her but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to keep a close eye on them. She was his life and without her or blading, he had nothing. He intended to look out for what was important to him.

"Oh my god." Tala looked at Emily startled as she screamed, "We need to get the paperwork back to Mr Dickerson. If we don't get it back soon then we won't be able to blade, come on!" She continued whilst grabbing Mariah's hand.

"What! Why didn't you say so?" Mariah screamed, "Come on lets go." She added, while starting to make a run towards the lift.

"Ahem, maybe you want to get changed first?" Lee said, not liking the fact that his sister was in her nightclothes in front of everyone.

Mariah looked at Lee in shock before the light bulb went off in her head. She was in her shorts, her small pink heart shorts and a white tank top. Short and tight nightclothes in front of everyone. She looked over at Tala, who was staring at her, his eyes widened as he finally realised her attire. Blushing heavily, she grabbed Hilary's hand; the latter girl was also in her nightclothes and screamed as she ran back into her room, Hilary also echoing her screams. Emily looked over at the boys before running into the room slamming the door shut. The boys looked at each other and shrugged as the girls actions were just plain weird to them. Yawning, Lee wiped a small sleep tear out if his eyes before turning back into his room when he was stopped by Rei who had grabbed his hand.

"Do you think that this is a good idea? Mariah isn't a strong beyblader and I don't want her to be disappointed." Rei said, not realising that his tone was more patronising than worried. Lee narrowed his eyes at the statement, however, he knew that his teammate wasn't arrogant and that didn't realise his attitude.

"Personally, I think that they both have what it takes. How can they find out how good they are if they don't try? Mariah is a strong beyblader she just needs to find her beyblade spirit again. I think that rather than doubt her we should cheer her on. I am happy for her, although I must admit, I am going to be worried when she up against rough bladers not to mention when the girls lose to us." Lee and Rei smiled at the tough of arrogance that finished the sentence.

"Your right Lee, I should never have doubted her. Besides, the White Tigers are going to win no matter what." Rei stated, his eyes smiling with the challenge to come as Lee hit his back in a brother hug.

* * *

"Well I am for one very happy that you decided to accept." Mr Dickerson said, his eyes merry in delight. "I think you both have made the right choice. Now I have your paperwork however, now all that is left is for you to come up with a name?" He finished off, while looking up at the girls expectantly.

Mariah and Emily looked at each other, dumbfounded. "A name?" Mariah whispered her mind completely blank. She looked at Emily who also had a similar look on her face and shook her head.

"Um. I don't really know. Em?" Mariah said.

"Um."

"What how rubbish is this? You are the only female blading team and you can't even come up with a name for yourself! Well it's just so lucky your amazing manager, the brilliant, the superb and the all incredible Hilary is here to come up with a name for you!" Hilary said, while twirling around as she notched up her ego a bit more.

"WHAT? Who made you our manager?" cried Emily, as Mariah sweat dropped as she looked at her friend and added. "Yeah, Hil."

Hilary scowled at her friend and then gave them a puppy look. "Oh come on please, you so need me as your manager and I am your friend and I am always there for you and please, please and ever more so please!"

"Fine, fine." Mariah sighed as Emily shook her head in amusement.

"So come on then '_oh great manager'_," Emily said sarcastically, "What name have you chosen for us?"

Hilary eyes beamed as held her hands clasped together towards her face, "We are the astounding, the dazzling, and the outstanding force of beyblading. We are Hilary's … **Beyblading Angels**!" Hilary finished off, her eyes going teary and dream like.

"…"

"… Hilary."

"Yeah Mariah?" Hilary said, her eyes focusing on the pink haired girl who had shook her out of her fantasy.

"_You're fired_."

"Shut up. Well you come up with something then." Hilary said as she folded her hands and turned her head.

"Hmm, I am not sure. I think we should stick with the angel theme, I think it suits us perfectly." Mariah said grinning as she ignored Emily's, '_yeah right'_ cough.

"I know how about we name ourselves after the Seraphim. They were the known as the highest group of angels. We could call ourselves the Divine Seraphim!" Emily said as Mariah agreed with her as they high fived each other and dance together in a circle.

"Yeah," cried Mariah, "I like that name."

"Hmm, well I liked Beyblading Angels more." Hilary said.

"Aw Hil," cried Emily laughing, "Does that mean you don't want to be part of the elite?"

Hilary pouted for a moment before smiling and joining in with their girls dancing. "Look out beyblading world, the Divine Seraphim are coming!" they cried before falling to the floor in laughter.

* * *

"Welcome beyblading fans young and old to the world tag team championships, guaranteed to keep you to the edge of your seats. Get ready for this exciting challenge as the tournament gets underway. Please remember to check out the boards held at the end of the hallway to check which team you are." DJ Jazzman began and he jumped and performed some moves with excitement.

"Come on Riah," cried Hilary as she dragged her and Emily towards the boards. "We need to see which group we are in and who we are facing." Mariah and Emily agreed as they all ran towards the boards where an enormous crowd was located. Pushing past the bodies that was gathered there, the girl made their way to the front and began to scan the board.

"Look there we are," cried Emily as she pointed to the last column. "Group H! Hmm but I don't recognise the other teams in our group." She added thoughtfully as she tapped her finger against her face, processing the information.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Hilary asked confused. "That way you're not battling Tyson, Tala or any of the other guys?"

"Not necessarily," Mariah began, "As we don't know any of them we don't know their style of battling or their bit beasts. That can place us at a disadvantage. Still you're right. Hmm, let's see, Group A has the BBA revolution, group B is the PPB All Starz, group C is the White Tigers and group D is Tala. _Interesting_." Mariah said as she chewed her bottom lip. 'Tala was in group D,' she thought, 'I wonder if I will face him.' She was shook out of her reverie as she noticed Hilary was growling and clenching her teeth. "Hilary?" She asked.

"Grr, that stupid, blue haired brat. I can't believe she is a beyblader." Hilary said her fists clenched tightly as her face fumed in anger.

"What's wrong, Hil?" Emily asked in concern, as her friend looked ready to blow a fuse.

"I'll tell you what's wrong," she seethed, "That stupid Ming Ming is a member of team BEGA in group G! I hate her, she is so annoying, with her icky cutesy voice and annoying innocent expression. GAH I can't believe we have to deal with her!" Hilary screamed as she nearly blew away the entire stadium with her scream. Mariah shook her head as Emily tried to calm the girl down.

"Come on Hilary, she can't be that bad?" Emily inquired only to nearly wither on the spot from the glare from Hilary.

"Not that bad? Gah, you just wait and see what that blue haired brat is like! She is the most annoying thing in the world!" Hilary screamed in response while jumping up and down punching the air imagining it was Ming Ming.

"Come on," Mariah said as both she and Emily sweat dropped at the girl's action, "We need to go to our room to discuss our plan." Hilary calmed down as Emily nodded as they both followed the girl to where the rooms where located. The excitement was building, they were about to begin and none of the girls could wait.

* * *

Tala sighed as he made his way with his teammates to their room. He had found out what group they were in and was more than confident that they would win their group challenge. He also noticed which group Mariah was in, thankfully she wasn't battling when he was so he could check out her match once he was finished with his. It was a whole day thing, where the four teams would battle each other. The first two would battle and then the next two would battle. Then the winner of each battle would battle the other to win their group.

"This will be a piece of cake." Bryan said, interrupting the silence with a scoff. Tala agreed with Bryan, they should have no troubling winning this part; in fact, they should have no trouble once they started battling the winner of the other groups either. This championship was theirs. Not even Tyson could win against their team, not with Kai and him teaming up and battling.

Kai scowled as he agreed with his teammate, "What a waste of time this is! I can't believe we have a waste a day battling some no marks, most of whom probably can't even launch a beyblade. " Tala again agreed with his teammate, it was a waste of time but then again what could you do.

"Well at least this part will be over quickly and then we can set about starting the real competition." Tala said as he ran his hands through his hair. He was weary; he had stayed awake all night thinking about the past. He was worried that Boris was here again, before they had left Russia, he had received some information, which had confirmed that Boris had somehow managed to be released from prison and he was now concerned that he would try to finish what he started. He was worried, for himself, his teammates and most importantly, _'Mariah.' _He whispered to himself, his thoughts on his pretty girlfriend.

"Tala," Kai said looking at Tala who along with his teammates started back at him in surprise. "I want to talk to you, privately." Kai ended the statement with a glare. Bryan and Spencer shrugged as they looked at each other before making their way into the room.

"What up?" Tala asked his eyes narrowing on the blue haired boy.

"This tournament is important and I want to beat Tyson more than anything; I don't want you spoiling things because you're a lovesick puppy. I want your 101% commitment in this tournament and more importantly, I don't want you to throw your match to your _girlfriend_ because she can't blade for shit. "Understood?" Kai sneered as he saw the anger rise in Tala's eyes.

"I don't work that way Hiwatari." Tala began, his voice calm, collected yet inside he was burning with anger. "Firstly, beyblading means just as much to me as it does to you. It means a lot to all of us, Mariah included. I would never throw a match nor would I insult her by even doing so. Second, yeah I am with Mariah so deal with it. I don't give a fuck what you think about our relationship. I am not going to throw it away because you don't like it. I've had no one in my life, no one, since I was born until she came along and there is no way in hell that I am going to let that go away from me. I know how to be professional and I will blade in this competition 200% and I will win."

Kai looked at his teammate, slight shocked at the boy's confession. Truth be told he actually admired Tala in that brief moment, he knew that Tala had the same kind of upbringing as him, meaning absent parents and power hungry guardians. He actually felt a little jealous. Tala had found someone and he wasn't alone anymore. Not that he was going to admit that so he nodded before turning to enter in the room before, the next statement struck him cold.

"I think Boris is back." Kai looked at Tala completely shocked.

"What?"

"Before we left someone who used to work at the abbey that I was still in touch with managed to give me some information on Boris. I think he managed to weasel his way out of jail with some bullshit about being a reformed character." Tala shook his head, the words sounding like complete and utter nonsense. "How could anyone believe that crap?" he questioned to Kai.

"It's typical. Boris is a sneak and he snuck his way out of prison. We will have to keep a watch out. Right now come on, let's go and practise some more."

Tala sighed as he agreed with his teammate as he opened the door, he was about to enter when he heard a voice near to him. '_It's the guy that was talking to Mariah,' _Tala thought, his eyes narrowing in anger as he remembered how the white haired guy had kissed his girl. Letting the door slam shut, he turned and walked to where the voices were heard.

* * *

Rick huffed as he walked along with his pint-sized teammate, he still couldn't believe that he was paired with Max. The guy was a sissy and he was sure his loyalty was to Tyson. _'No matter,_' he thought, _'I can win this tournament on my own.'_

Happy at the thought, he shifted his CD player on his shoulder when he was slammed into a wall to the side.

"What the hell?" He said, startled as he looked into a pair of angry turquoise eyes. "Ah," he cackled, "it's the boyfriend." Smiling he glared back into Tala's eyes as the other boys eyes darkened in annoyance. "Aw is lover boy angry? Feeling scared 'cos his mistress is about to leave him and ..." Rick choked as Tala grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze his throat.

"Stay away from her, understood." Tala said, his voice holding no room for any disagreement.

"Now Tala. Let's just calm down." Max said as he tried to reason with the irate boy.

Rick sad nothing as he kept his stare fixed on Tala, his face starting to turn a shade of blue.

Tala said nothing as he kept a hold of Rick's neck; he didn't want this idiot to go anywhere near Mariah again.

"Tala let him go." Michael said, he saw that neither boy were about to back down.

"Don't we have a match to be preparing for?" Kai said his annoyance showing. "Come on, let's go." Bryan grabbed Tala, forcing the boy to follow, as the red haired struggled against the hold, and continued to glare at the white haired boy. Finally, he gave up but not before giving a damning look to Rick and walking off.

Rick said nothing as he tried to breathe in the oxygen he had been deprived of. Coughing, he shot his own death glare at where red haired had once stood.

"Come on lets go." Max said as he grabbed his teammate, the other members of the All Starz following him as they entered the room. '_Great,'_ thought Max, '_the matches had even started yet and already people wanted to kill each other. It's going to be on interesting battle when we meet team Neo Borg.' _Giggling at the thought, Max felt his excitement building, he couldn't wait to get started, and it was so on!

* * *

Mariah glared at the opponent's team. They had won their first round and now they were facing the last team in-group H. If they won this match then they would advance forward. Tala and his team had already won their matches, likewise the White Tigers, PPB All Starz and BBA Revolution. Another group called Barthez Battalion had won group E, while group F team called F-Dynasty had managed to win their group as well. Not to mention, much to Hilary's annoyance, BEGA had smashed through their group. Now all eyes were on them as they were the last group. '_Talk about added pressure,'_ she thought as she became aware of all their friends watching the match. Lee and the White Tigers were here, not to mention Max and his team. However, even worse Tala was watching. _'We can't lose.' _ She thought, as she watched the final of Emily's round. Emily had gone up first and if she won her match then all Mariah to do was win her match and they would advance to the next level.

"Come on Emily!" Hilary cheered, sat next to Mariah. "You can do it."

"Yeah come on Em!" Mariah joined in.

Emily smiled as she heard her teammates; she had to do this, for them. There was no way she could lose.

"Trygator!" She screamed as her blade began to glow. "Let's do it!" And with that, her blade smashed into her opponent's blade sending it flying out of the dish.

"Oh my God," she cried, her breathing slightly laboured. "I did it!" She screamed as she met her teammates in a group hug. "You did it! Cried Hilary, happy for her team. "Now Riah, you just need to win your match and we are through." Emily agreed with Hilary and added, "You can do this, come on we are all behind you."

Mariah nodded as she took her place on the stand. DJ jazzman was relating to the crowd the stats of the teams. Taking advantage of the time, she studied her opponent. Big nosed and bushy eyebrows, was all she could make out. Truth be told, he didn't look at strong but it was best not to underestimate your opponent.

"Heh," the boy said as the dish was being brought up. Mariah snapped her ears forward and frowned at the boy. "I heard that you were a last minute addition because one team couldn't make it and that you were only chosen because you were a girl. Which is true because there is no way girls can beyblade, this match is going to be easy and you girl are going down."

Mariah laughed, this boy was history and with that, she narrowed her eyes and launched her beyblade. "Go Galux!"

Lee winched along with everyone else in the audience as his sister pounded her opponent to the ground. He had heard what the guy had said to her and truth be told, he was fearing for the guys safety. This was understandable as he watched his sister call her bit beat and pummel the other blade to the ground. It was never a good idea to get Mariah mad, she was lethal when she was normal and once you get her mad, well as Karl from the Crunchers found out, it was never a good idea to get Mariah mad, _ever_.

She had done it. She had won. Mariah smiled as she heard her teammates scream in delight. They had done it. They were through to the next round. Turning around she ran back to her teammates as DJ Jazzman confirmed that in an awesome match the Divine Seraphim had won the battle.

"We did it!" she cried as Emily and Hilary jumped up and down with joy alongside her.

"We are through to the next round! I can't believe it! This is great!" Emily exclaimed as she smiled brightly at her friends.

"I know," Hilary replied her eyes happy and smile bright as she danced around in delight. "We are so going to win the championship."

"Now, now" Emily began, "Let's not get too carried away."

"And this just in folks," DJ Jazzman replied as everyone turned their attention to the host. "We have the match line up for tomorrow. First up is group A and E where the BBA revolution take on the Barthez Battalion. Group B winners the PPB All Starz will take on Group D, Team NeoBorg. Then the next day, Group F's, F-Dynasty will take on Team BEGA from group G and finally group C, The White Tigers will take on the team from group H, the Divine Seraphim.

Mariah stared at Hilary and Emily in shock, '_yeah, let's not get carried away_.'

* * *

Boris smiled as he heard the team line-ups; there was no way his team would lose. "Soon Tala, I will get my revenge on you and Kai. There is no way you will lose to my team. BEGA will be the world champions and they will crush you." Boris smiled, happy about the thought of crushing Tala and Kai. "Hmm, I see that pink haired brat, is also in this tournament, _interesting_." He carried on as his expression went thoughtful as he tapped his fingers together. "I could you use your own weakness against you. Hmm, yes I will have to pay attention to the Divine Seraphim. I will crush you, I will crush you all." And with that, he threw his head back and laughed, his cackling echoing throughout the quiet building. "I will succeed."

* * *

Tala smiled as he saw Mariah and her teammates talk. He could see the anxiety in her eyes as she found out she would be facing her old team. He could see that it worried her but truth be told, he couldn't see it being that big of a deal. Surely, they would have to face each other eventually. Sighing, he made his way towards the pink haired girl and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

Mariah jumped slightly at the tap on her shoulder, turning around she smiled cautiously as she saw it was Tala. She was about to hug him, when she remembered where they were. They had both agreed that during the matches, they would be professional and so she folded her hands together to prevent herself from doing anything stupid.

"Congratulations," he said, as she glanced up at him.

"Thanks," she replied before adding, "Congrats to you as well, you're also through to the next round."

"Like there was any doubt, it was too easy." Was the arrogant reply.

Mariah sighed at her boyfriend and shook her head. Really, he was such an egotistical so and so. Nevertheless, she had to admit, as she smiled, she loved him just the way he was.

"I'm facing Lee and Rei tomorrow," she whispered her eyes saddening at the thought of facing her brother and friend. "I know it's silly but I didn't think it would be this soon."

"You knew it was going to happen," he started, ignoring her surprised look at his tone, "Look at it this way, if you can't face them now then how would you later on? You need to face your fears and besides its better you face them now."

Mariah nodded at Tala's lecture, he was right. She knew that she would eventually face them but she was still worried. There was still this small niggling of doubt, was she strong enough, could she win?

"Besides, I believe in you, and I want you to win."

Mariah glanced in shock at Tala before beaming at him as she heard what he had said.

"Thank you," she whispered as she drew him into a hug, professionalism be dammed. "Thank you so much for believing me."

Tala said nothing as he stroked her hair, his eyes gazing softly into the distance.

'_Always Mariah, always.'_

_TBC_

Chapter 5 is already done and will be uploaded soon. Chapter 6 is already in the works.

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review. Please read and review if you can.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, this time with an old evil lurking in the background. Teams are forming and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Pairings**: Tala/Mariah. Max/Emily

**Rating**: PG-13/T

**Note: **The BEGA Justice 5 thing will happen but later on and under different circumstances. For now, they don't know Boris is behind BEGA and BEGA's role is different. Bartherz Battalion are cheating and stuff but they won't have a big role. In addition, Bryan doesn't like Mariah for a reason, which will be explained and his role will become bigger as I like Bryan. In addition, I know I am hurrying the matches, sorry but I suck at writing blading matches.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bakuten Shoot Beyblades or any other recognised characters; they are all copyrighted to their respective owners.

Tempting Fate (Sequel to Rescue Me)

Chapter 5

By Kaz.

Mariah smiled wearily as she past various people, each congratulating her on the match. She had decided not to go back to the hotel as her friends had done. She needed a bit of time to think alone. Tala had gone off with his teammates, no doubt to train some more. She walked in a random direction, her mind full of thoughts about the match she would have the day after tomorrow.

"I can't believe that I am going to go up against Rei or Lee. I know it's going to be tough, but I also have to admit, I am so excited. I can't help it, I am actually happy I am going to face them now; I need to know if I have the skills to beat them. I need to know if my desire to win is strong. Besides, no matter what, I will always love them. I can't wait!" She grinned as she jumped in the air and quickened her pace.

She heard some voices up ahead and the sound of some beyblades. "Hmm sounds like someone is either training or battling. I'm gunna go check it out." Walking towards the direction of the blades, she turned the corner and was shocked when she saw who it was.

"Tala?" She questioned as team Neo Borg, looked up at her arrival. '_God, how embarrassing_,' she thought, '_it looks like I can't leave him alone_.' Wishing that now she didn't follow the sound, she hopped slightly from foot to foot. She was about to turn around and make a quick getaway when she heard Tala call her name.

"Heh, hi," she answered, blushing slightly as Tala grinned at her, now that his teammates were behind him. "Sorry, I heard the sound of the blades and I was just curious." She tried to explain as Tala kept grinning at her. "Isn't that how we first met?" He asked as she bent her head down, embarrassed. "Personally, I just think you just can't keep away from me." He joked as she blushed heavily and swatted him away while exclaiming. "As if!"

"Tala, if you're finished, are we going to get back to the match?" Bryan sneered. Tala narrowed his eyes at his teammate, for some reason Bryan just didn't like Mariah. No matter, he would just have to get used to her.

"Wanna stay?" He asked Mariah, pleased inside as she agreed.

"As long as it's okay with your team?" She asked looking around. Bryan smirked, Spencer remained silent and Kai ignored her. '_What a happy team_,' she thought.

"Sure, it's not like your spying on us." Tala joked as Mariah grinned at him.

"Maybe she should," Bryan sneered, "Maybe that way she can actually learn how to beyblade."

'_Now Mariah,' she began _to lecture herself_, 'It' is not a good way to introduce yourself to your boyfriend team by murdering one of them.' _Looking at Bryan who was still sneering at her, '_No matter how difficult it might be not to.'_

_

* * *

_

Mariah was captivated. She was completely enthralled in watching the match between Kai and Spencer. They were both good bladers even though it was obvious that Kai was the better of the two. She squirmed slightly in her and she tried to get a better view of the match. Tala glanced at the girl beside him as he rested his arm behind her on the bench top. He was happy that she was spending some time with him and his teammates. He hoped that she wasn't too unnerved, though looking at her; he could see that she was intrigued by the match. '_Wait until she sees me battle Bryan_,' he thought grinning. He couldn't help himself; he liked it when he impressed her. Sighing, he lost interest in the match and grabbed Mariah's hand, while the girl in turn looked over at him, perplexed, as she looked at him in question.

Tala said nothing as he stroked her hand, she didn't realise but moments like this were precious to him. He had never done anything like this before, never had the opportunity to sit and do nothing. He always had a mission or was off training. He couldn't help but feel completely comfortable as he sat with his teammates and Mariah and did _absolutely nothing_. Mariah smiled at him, and turned her head to watch the match again. Shifting to be closer to him, she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply. He didn't know how moments like this were dear to her either. Coming from an isolated village, strict in tradition and unwilling to move forward she had never had a chance to get close to someone like this. Not even with Rei. If any of the Elders saw her like this, there would have been hell to pay. Nevertheless, home was a long way and she had never felt so wholly relaxed with no conversation, actions speaking louder than words. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall into the moment. It didn't matter that they were in the middle of the stadium, with his teammates battling each other. It just didn't matter. They could have been anywhere. As long as he was with her, she just didn't care anymore.

"How about we have a match?"

Mariah's eyes shot open as she realised the question was directed at her. Looking up into pale lavender eyes, her eyes widen even more as she comprehended it was Bryan who had initiated the match. Mariah narrowed her eyes, she knew this was a test and she was up for it.

"No."

Mariah looked at Tala, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. He had no idea what Bryan's problem was with Mariah and naturally, he intended to find out. However, he wasn't going to let Mariah be prey for Bryan. There was no way in hell that she would…

"Yes, I accept your match."

Tala felt his heart nearly stop. What the hell was she playing at? She knew that battling Bryan wasn't a game, he was a deadly blader and she was going to get herself hurt. "Mariah," he started, his lip pursed in annoyance.

"No Tala," Mariah replied shaking her head. "I know you are trying to protect me but I am in this tournament. Facing someone like Bryan is something I will need to do and learn from. I am going to battle in this tournament and no matter what and I plan to win." Mariah glanced in annoyance at the other members of team Neoborg as they scoffed in laugher, while Kai looked at her interested in the scene playing out.

'_Bastards._' She thought as Bryan and Spencer mocked her_. _Of course, she knew that she might not win this match but the opportunity was too valuable to pass up. She had to try, if she couldn't battle Bryan now then how could she later on?

"I'll team with the girl; we will take you and Spencer on." Mariah looked at the blue haired boy in shock.

"Kai?" Tala questioned, _'what the heck was his game?' _Kai ignored the boy as he looked at Mariah, his interest fixed in her reaction.

"Fine. Let's do this." Mariah didn't look at Tala as she made her way down to the dish. She knew that Kai didn't particularly like her, in fact, he probably wanted to humiliate her but she wasn't going to back down. She had to do this, for her team, for herself and most importantly to show others that she wasn't weak.

Breathing nervously, she placed herself one side of the dish and readied Galux as the other two did the same. She became aware that Kai had positioned himself alongside her, '_This is going to be interesting.' _She was also aware of Tala who had sat back down, was trying to look like he was calm however; Mariah could see the anxiety in his eyes. '_Please believe me_.' She thought. She needed his trust and support.

"Ready?" Bryan mocked, as the other nodded their heads. "3, 2, 1. Let do this!" Mariah launched Galux, wasting no time telling Galux to ready her claws. She was going to need Galux help and desperately. She knew Bryan was going to come after her and she wondered if this was payback for Rei or even worse, Tala.

"Galux, pounce!" She cried as sure enough, Bryan was tailing her, the match hadn't even started and she was already going to lose.

"Keep your eye on his blade." Kai said, causing Mariah who was nearly about to faint from a panic attack to glance in shock at him. "Bryan's element is wind and you can tell when he is about to launch his attack. He needs a slight momentum. You need to think with a clear head as you used too, you used to be better than this. It seems to me that you have convinced yourself you can't beyblde anymore. Instead of throwing around dramatics, concentrate on the match and think."

Mariah said nothing as Kai instructed her. Thought she could have done without his last statement, she knew he was right. She needed to keep a watch on Bryan's blade though not forgetting about Spencer. There was no point in trying to attack straight, Bryan's element was wind and so any attack would be reflected. Still at least she hadn't had pieces the stadium thrown at her.

'_Keep watching, Mariah.' _She repeated to herself, sooner or later his blade would have a slight hesitation of when it was about to launch its special attack and that was when she needed to pounce. A brief glance to the side had shown her that Kai and Spencer were locked in battle again, both already calling out their bitbeats and then… wait for it… there! "GALUX! Cat scratch attack!" She cried at the same time Bryan called out Falborg. "Go for it Galux!" Mariah cried as she coughed from the amount of dust rising as the four blades met each other. The match was over. 'Who won?' Were the thoughts of all 4 teens.

'_No way, I lost.' _She felt like crying, the match had ended in a stalemate. Kai had taken out Spencer and she had lost to Bryan. _'No way, I tried so hard.' _Eyes downcast, she turned to retrieve her blade when she heard Kai call her name. "Not too bad."

"What? But I lost."

"The fact that you used your head and managed to stay in the match and also meet Bryan head on was good. It was a good match, you just need more practise." Mariah beamed at Kai, who scoffed before walking away. He couldn't fool her; he was impressed. She looked over at Bryan expecting to see a superior look but was shocked when the lavender haired man retrieved her blade as well as his own.

"Hmm, good match." Mariah was completely shocked as he handed back her blade before walking off. '_Oh my god, has hell frozen over or something_?'

She looked over at Tala, who was still sat on the bench, his eyes losing their worried look and filling with pride. She might have lost the match but she had won so much more. Smiling, she bounced over to Tala and laughed as he grabbed her hips in a small hug. Yes, she really had won.

* * *

Emily ran her hands through her hair as she looked at the computer screen. She had been working all day on upgrading her blade. She knew that right now she and Mariah were in trouble unless they fixed up their blades and practised more. She needed to concentrate now 100%, she needed to get this done and then she and Mariah would stand a chance.

"Hey Emily, what are you up too?"

Emily screamed as the voice came from nowhere, all of the parts she was holding were now scattered across the floor. "M-Max, you scared me." She whimpered as her heart was still beating rapidly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you didn't hear me, I did knock." Max replied his eyes full of concern and bent down to retrieve the parts off the floor. "So what are you working on?"

"N-nothing, I'm just upgrading my beyblade," she whispered quietly, "It's for the match we have against the White Tigers."

"I can't wait to see that match; I think it's going to be a great match!"

Emily looked at the blond haired boy in slight shock, "Really you think so?" She asked.

"Ah huh! I think it will be one amazing match. I can't wait to see Mariah and you blade." Emily said nothing as continued to watch Max as he picked the parts she had dropped. "I think it's great that you and Mariah have teamed up. You are both way cool bladers and it is great to see more people in the competition! "

"You, you don't think I'm weak?"

"No way, I think you brilliant, I really do!"

Emily smiled shyly at the enthusiastic boy. He was so sweet, he might not have known it but he really cheered her up. "Thanks Max."

Max felt himself turn slight red, he liked Emily, she was a nice girl and he liked it when she smiled at him. "Hey Emily, um…" Max began shyly, "I-I was wondering, would you like to um hang out maybe?"

It didn't look like Emily's heart would settle down any time soon, "S-sure." She blushed as she grabbed Max's out stretched hand before leaving the building. '_Sorry Riah, I will do the upgrades but not right now. I know you will understand.'_

_

* * *

_

Mariah laughed as she saw the little kids around the beystadium battle in their own mini battles; she remembered what it was like to be that age. No troubles, no worries, just blade your heart out. Smiling, she linked her hand through Tala's arm as he shook his head at her in amusement. He envied her at times, the way she could be so carefree. He would love to know what it felt like.

They had decided to walk through the park, to try and spend some precious time together. Tomorrow would be the start of the matches and reality would kick in again. For now, they could cherish these small moments. Mariah was happy; no, she was really happy. Watching some of the leaves fall from the trees and leave a blanket of brown on the footpath, she remembered some of her childhood memories. "You know I used to love it when autumn came around. We used to play in the fallen leaves for hours."

"Why?" Tala asked as Mariah looked at him in puzzlement. "Why would you want to play in fallen leaves? What purpose would that have?" He continued trying to clarify the question.

"What? Well because it was fun! There was no purpose it was just fun." Inclining her head to side she saw Tala's perplexed look. "Have you never done that? Just do something silly just for fun?"

When Tala shook his head no, Mariah felt her heart drop. '_What a childhood, no fun, no laughter and no happiness. Things that we took for granted, he never had. I am going to make his life have some fun in it. It's never too late for that.' _And with that, she grabbed Tala's hand and made her way for the leaves. "Come on," she laughed as she dragged Tala. "Let's have some fun." Ending the statement she threw some leaves at Tala's face and laughed as she saw some leaves stick in his hair. Still laughing she tried to grab some more leaves to throw at him, only to scream as he did the same. Sometimes even the most pointless things could make the most valuable memories.

* * *

Tala smirked as he saw Kai beat Max in an all out battle. It had been a slightly shock as Max and Kai had gone up first. In all honestly, Kai thought that Rick would have gone first with Max second, which is how Kai would have wanted it. Tala was sure that Kai didn't want Tala to face Rick, not when he still wanted to pound the boy into the ground. He increased his smirk as saw his teammate walk back to the bench. It was now his turn, all he needed to do was beat Rick and then they would advance to the next round. Moreover, it was time to settle this for the last time.

Passing Kai as he made his way towards the dish, he mind was full of ways of how he was going to beat the white-haired boy when Kai passed him some advice. "Don't let the match get too personal. I know you hate him but remember this is a competition. "

Tala ignored him as he continued to make his way ahead. Looking up at the audience, he smiled as he saw a familiar face. Mariah was here, good. Somehow her just been here filled him with belief. He was going to win this match, not because he wanted to teach Rick a lesson well no that was a reason but also for her. There was no way he was going to lose this.

"Heh," he heard Rick say as the boy was waiting for him at the other side of the dish. Tala narrowed his eyes and thought, _'You're going down.' _Completely aware that the other boy was thinking along the same lines.

* * *

Mariah felt slightly panicky inside as she saw Tala walk up to the dish. She hoped that both boys would behave themselves. It was 1-0 and if Tala beat Rick then they would advance. _'Come on, Tala.'_ She cheered mentally inside. Even though Emily and she were both cheering for different teams, they didn't let it affect them. She was happy that they could be friend and professional at the same time. Turning her thoughts towards the match, she felt herself take a deep breath as both players launched their blades. "Come on TALA!"

* * *

Rich grunted as his blade was slammed back again. He was so annoyed when Max had lost to Kai but after battling Tala, he knew it wasn't unintentional. Team Neoborg were good, the toughest he had ever faced so far. Smiling, he began to enjoy the match. As much as he didn't like Tala, he was a good blader and he respected him in that sense.

"Is that all you have?" He shouted to the other boy hoping to rile in into making a mistake, "I've seen infant's blade better than you. Come on then! Go Rock Bison, drop rock ATTACK!"

Tala grinned as he heard the boy call out his attack; he had to admit this match was interesting. _'I'll show you what I can do,' _Tala thought. "Go Wolborg! Novae Rog attack!"

The crowd were silent as both blades met each other. Tala narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth, _'Comer on Wolborg, we have to win this.'_

"And there we have it folks, in this exciting battle we finally have a winner." DJ Jazzman screamed into his microphone as the crowd began to cheer, "Give it up for Tala and his win confirms that team Neoborg have won the match. Whohoo!"

Tala grinned. He had done it. Smiling, he waved to the crowd but not before inconspicuously winking at Mariah who blushed in return, her face red with happiness. Walking up to the other team, he held out his hand to the beaten boy. "Good match."

Rick huffed before smiling and shook the offered hand. "Yeah it was but next time watch out because I am going to beat you."

Tala smirked before walking back to him team, his teammates congratulating him on his win. Tala nodded, happy at their praise. They had done well; they had beaten the PPB All Starz. He wondered who they were up against next.

Sighing, he looked over to where Mariah was sat and found her talking to Rick. Frowning, he tried to calm himself just as the boy gave her a hug_. 'I fucking well can't stand that boy.' _Walking up to the pair, he glared at Rick before pulling Mariah out of the boys hold and into a backwards hug.

Mariah smiled before turning and hugging him full force. "Well done, you were amazing! I was just saying to Rick, it was an amazing match." Mariah laughed as Tala grinned back at her. They kept staring at each other until the forgotten boy made his presence aware by coughing. Breaking the gaze, Mariah turned to look at the Rick just missing the annoyed look that Tala threw at the boy.

"Come on," Tala said to her, "Let's go." Mariah waved bye to Rick before leaving with Tala, again, missing the look that Rick threw at Tala.

* * *

Mariah was nervous as hell. It was time for her match against the White Tigers and she couldn't sit still. Emily had been up for most of the night making changes to their blades. Mariah had helped as well but still she was in awe of the girl. Emily knew so much about gathering information and making the upgrades. She had a plan of action for everything. She hoped she could make her teammate proud of her and use her new blade to beat the competition.

They had decided that Emily would go up first. When Emily had asked what Mariah thought her previous team's line up would be, Mariah was sure that Lee would go first and Rei would battle next. After various discussions, they had decided that Emily would go up first hopefully to battle Lee and she would face Rei.

She knew this was going to be tough, the White Tigers were no amateur bladers, she should know. Sure, she had beaten Gary and Kevin when they were seeing who would be Rei's partner at the start and she had just narrowly been beaten by Lee. She wondered how differently things would have been if she had won. Well there was no point thinking of the past, she had to look forward and meet them in battle. She hugged Emily as they made their way out to stands looking over at the audience. She knew Tala was here, just the thought of him being here filled her with courage. He believed in her and she would make him proud, just as she would make her family proud by making sure she bladed her best.

"Welcome to what will be guaranteed to be another amazing match. This round will see the Divine Seraphim take on the White Tigers. How will both teams react as Mariah once used to be on the White Tigers team, would old friendships come into play? I dunno folks, but I can't wait can you?"

The crowd cheered with delight, impatiently waiting for the match to start. "Up first for the Divine Seraphim is Emily. Emily is a totally wicked blader and with her bitbeat Trygator she can be one tough cookie." DJ Jazzman shouted into the microphone as they waited for the White Tigers to send up their first member. "And from the opposing team the White Tigers send out … REI!"

Mariah and Emily looked each other in shock, as this was unexpected. '_This means that next match I am going to be facing Lee!'_ Mariah thought worriedly, '_But this is not the time to think about this, I need to cheer Emily on.' _ "Go Emily! Come on we can do this!"

Emily smiled at Mariah; she was going to need all the good luck she could get. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she focused on the longhaired boy as he made his way to the dish. She was going to do her best no matter what, she had to, for her previous team, Mariah and most importantly for herself.

'_Let's do this Trygator.'_

_

* * *

_

Emily gritted her teeth in frustration as Rei's blade slammed hers again. She was breathing heavily now, this match was tough. Rei was a phenomenal blader and he was making her work. She knew she had to end this quickly; Driger was gaining more and more strength while she was losing hers.

"Trygator go for it, Alligator Bite attack!"

"Driger do your thing, Gatling Claw!"

"Hold on to your hats folks. This looks to be like a big wave coming! And oh, it's all over, Emily is down but Rei just manages to keep spinning. Let's hear it for a remarkable match!"

Emily couldn't believe it, she had tried so hard but in the end, _'I lost.'_

"Emily!" cried Hilary, as she ran up to the broken girl.

"You did great! That was amazing match!"

"But I lost."

"It was still an incredible battle Emily. I really enjoyed it." Rei said, as he shook the girl's hand. "You are really good."

"Thanks, Rei." Emily smiled at Rei before Hilary grabbed the girl in a hug as they made their back to where Mariah stood.

"Riah, I am so sorry and…" Emily got no further as Mariah grabbed her in a hug. "That was great Em and don't worry, you did your best and we can't ask for more than that!"

Both girls smiled at each other, before Emily said, "You're up against Lee next. Do your best Riah and it doesn't matter what happens!"

Mariah smiled as she walked to the dish, her brother already waiting for her. She ceased down any nostalgic emotions and kept her head up high. She needed to give her full 100% to this battle; if she lost then this would mean they were one down. Besides Lee was going to come at her with everything she had and she had to ensure she did the same. Emotions had to be put aside.

"No matter what Mariah, I will always be your brother and I love you. Now let's do this!"

Mariah smiled before at her brother before readying her blade. It was on.

* * *

Tala watched the match in concentration. The battle between the two siblings was building to create an intense fight. Both blades were evenly matched and so as of yet no one had the upper hand. What Lee had in attack, Mariah made up in quickness. At either side of him sat his teammates. Kai was watching the match impassively, or so he seemed you could never tell with him. Bryan on the other hand was watching at the match intently, which reminded him that he needed to find out what Bryan's problem was with Mariah.

"She better win." Tala mumbled. He wanted her too.

"She will." Tala looked over at Kai, "She is using her head, she can sense when Lee is about to attack since she knows his every move. That's the problem when you are battling someone you team with. However, Lee is leaving himself open at times, and eventually Mariah's blade will leap on him. She is too fast."

Tala grinned at his teammate before they turned back to the match. She would win; he knew she would.

* * *

"Come on Galux, we need to keep it up!" Mariah mumbled as she concentrated on the match. She had noticed that Lee had left his defence open a few times, however, she was too far away to capitalise on it then but now, it was her chance.

"Galeon ready yourself!"

"Galux get ready to attack!"

"Whoa get a load of this folks. I totally can't wait to see the outcome on this match, watch them go!"

"Dark Lightening attack!"

"CAT SCRATCH ATTACK!"

Mariah's eyes widened as the dust settled and the outcome of the match was displayed for all to see.

Galux had just managed to keep spinning. _She had won._

"And there we have it folks, round two goes to the Divine Seraphim. Now that it's locked at two a piece, which means we go to round three. Let's see who each team send out after a short break."

Mariah was shocked; she couldn't believe she had done it.

"MARIAH!" Screamed Emily and Hilary as they ran up to the girl. "You did it."

"I-I did?"

"YES!" Hilary exclaimed, "We have one round left, come on we so need to do this. We can win."

Mariah shook herself out of her stupor. She looked up at her teammates before glancing across the dish to where Lee still stood. Both siblings looked intently at each other before Lee let himself smile. He was proud at her. Mariah beamed back in response before each team made their way back to their respective benches.

"Are you going to be ok for round three, Mariah?" Emily asked as Hilary handed the cat like girl a glass of water.

"Me?" Mariah asked still slightly dazed.

"Yes you, I think its best you battle again. Depending on who they send out I think you will be the best match for them." Emily said, her head nodding as her eyes filled with faith for her friend.

"Yeah come on Riah, you can so totally do this." Hilary agreed.

Mariah glanced up at her friends; they were the best. Feeling slightly teary, she nodded before shouting, "And you better believe it!" and high-fived her friends.

"Mariah." Mariah was startled as she looked past the bench into the corridor. It was Tala. She glanced at her teammates before walking out to meet him.

"Tala? What are you doing here, the match is about to start?"

"Just some advice. Rei's attack is powerful but you have speed on your side. Your best bet is to keep away from him and attack when he isn't ready. Make sure he doesn't corner you in."

"I know and I remember from our previous match. I won't make the same mistake twice." Mariah smiled before impulsively giving him a quick kiss. Laughing as he drew her into a hug, she returned it before hurrying away as they were being called out.

It was time; it was Rei VS Mariah Round 2. This time she was going to **win**.

* * *

Mariah sighed, everything that Tala has advised and her plan of action had completely gone out of the window. Rei knew her style too well, he wasn't about to let her get away from him. Each time she tried to flee from him, he would catch her back up.

'_Come on Mariah keep it together. Remember Tala and Kai's advice. You can do this; you have to! You can't, no you won't lose!'_

Mariah gritted her teeth and surveyed the scene. She needed to get away from him but it was hard and it didn't help that the dish didn't have many places where she could attack unexpectedly. The dish was round with bamboo beams at the side, which were placed on a rotating part.

"Right, Galux if we can't attack him in the dish then we will have to do it from above. Go for it Galux climb the beams and attack from above. Go Galux, CAT SCRATCH ATTACK!"

"No way, come on Driger GATLING CLAW!"

Both blades attacked and it was left up to fate to see which one kept spinning. No one made a sound as they waited to see the outcome. It was tense, _too tense_.

"…" She couldn't say anything.

"OMG WE WON!" The screams came from behind.

Hilary and Emily ran up to Mariah who was in a state of shock.

She couldn't even hear the screams or register what her teammates were telling her. She couldn't even comprehend what Rei and Lee were saying to her.

She had done it; she won.

She had beaten Lee and Rei.

_Holy Crap._

_

* * *

_

Mariah should have felt guilty but time alone like this was rare. Ever since her match, everyone had hounded her and congratulated her. Of course, she was thankful and happy but she needed a few moments by herself and so she had slipped out to the beach. Mercifully, it was empty. Sitting down on the sand and bringing her knees up, she looked up at the sun setting before letting her mind wonder and let herself cry. She couldn't believe it, she had won and it was too much. All the doubts, all the fears that she wasn't good enough, it was all coming out now and she couldn't help but have a cry.

She rested her head on her knees and tried to calm herself down. It was no use and so she gave up and let herself have this moment. She didn't even raise her head as she heard someone walk up and sit down beside her. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw it was Tala. Unable to say anything she allowed herself to be drawn into his hug and cry some more.

Tala just let her cry, sometimes words didn't have enough comfort, and actions spoke louder than words. Comforting her, he leaned his head on hers as she continued to sob.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered, "I just couldn't face anyone."

Tala didn't reply but continued to stroke her hair in a soothing comfort. Finally, she began to calm down and her cried turned into sniffles.

"It's getting cold now," he said as she felt the girl shiver slightly, "We should go back."

"No, no please I can't go back to the hotel. I just can't face anyone right now."

Tala sighed; he knew that sometimes you just needed time by yourself without people around you. "Come on, you can come back with me." Mariah glance up at him, momentarily shocked before nodding. "Thank you." She whispered as held her close. This is what she needed right now and who she needed, _Tala_.

_TBC_

Chapter 6 is done and should be up soon. Also, if you want check out my other fic The Divine Seraphim. That's a Tala x Mariah fic too (ignore what it says on the fic, I am going to change it) but more fantasy based.

Also the Beyblading Angels joke was put in there as when I first began to read Beyblade fics, everyone who had an OC girl group had called their team that or Bey Angels, etc. So it was just a small joke on that.

**Please read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary**: The tag team championship is set to begin, this time with an old evil lurking in the background. Teams are forming and breaking but two people find themselves drifting even closer.

**Pairings:** Tala/Mariah. Max/Emily.

**Rating**: PG-13/T

**Note: **There is mentions of and reference to sex in this chapter so I am warning you beforehand. Nothing overly descriptive though and complies with rating.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bakuten Shoot Beyblades or any other recognised characters; they are all copyrighted to their respective owners.

**Tempting Fate**

**Chapter 6**

By Kaz.

Mariah sighed as she snuggled in closer. She didn't want to get up and face the day. She had spent the night with Tala. Not that anything like _that_ had happened but it certainly was close to it. She knew she should have left but she didn't want to. She was so happy here, it was just Tala and her and she didn't want it to end.

She felt Tala caress her tousled hair as she cuddled him. They both glanced at each other before meeting in a kiss. Since last night, their relationship had changed. The innocent feelings and touches had been replaced with something much more deeper. She could feel herself changing, her thoughts and her reactions to him. Everything was different. Everything held a different emotion than before. It frightened her and excited her at the same time. Snuggling down into the warm covers, she traced his biceps lightly with her fingers, running them up and down his muscles, not quite meeting his eyes. She felt him shift and place those breathtaking eyes on her. Looking up, she let herself drown in his gaze as her fingers moved to trace random patterns on his naked chest. His own arms tightening around her in response, as his breaths became slightly louder and nuzzled his head against hers.

No words, no sound and no visions. There was no need, no words could describe the emotions between the two, no sound could heed the passion between the two and no visions could show the love they had for each other. There was no way to describe it, it was there and it was evolving.

A knock on the door interrupted the two and the moment was lost. Tala cursed lightly as he reluctantly left Mariah's embrace and made his way to the door but not before glancing over at the girl making sure she was okay. Opening the door slightly, he peered out and frowned as he saw Spencer standing there.

"What's wrong?" He asked not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Kai wants to hold a meeting. He wants us all there. Are you coming?" Tala sighed; he had hoped that since there were no matches today that he would have been able to spend some time with Mariah. "I'll be there in a minute; I just need to get ready." Tala replied, as he began to close the door.

"Kai also said to bring the girl." Tala paused in his action and looked at Spencer who was making his way back through the corridor. Turning into the room, he met Mariah's puzzled gaze.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes I did. Why does Kai want me to come and how did he know I was here?" Worried, she realised that Lee might have discovered that she hadn't gone back to her room last night. Looking at Tala, who had realised her concerns, he motioned with his head to the phone. Mariah smiled at him before dialling Hilary's room.

"Hello." Mariah could hear that Hilary was still abed as her voice was slightly raspy with sleep.

"It's me," she whispered.

"Mariah? Where are you? You didn't come back last night. I was so worried! I held Lee off. He asked about you and I said you would be back later but still are you ok. Are-are you with Tala?"

Mariah sighed; she hoped she hadn't put her friend in a difficult position. "Yes, I am with Tala. I am sorry I didn't come back last night and that I worried you. I just lost it slightly and I needed to be away from people. I am sorry. I am going to stay here today; please can you cover for me? Just say I came back and left again. I am sorry to put this on you, I just- I just can't come back yet. Please understand."

Mariah could almost feel Hilary's smile. "Of course I can but you missy better explain everything to me when you get back. Say hi to Tala for me." Mariah chuckled as she put the phone down. She looked at Tala who was now dressed, blushing slightly as she remembered the events from last night.

After leaving with Tala, he had brought her back to his hotel room. Obviously, they weren't quite ready for that step, well she wasn't but they did talk a lot. '_And kiss a lot._' She thought, her cheeks going the same colour as her hair. She knew she wanted to be with Tala in every way possible but that was quite a big step and she would need some more time. She knew it was hard for Tala; after all, she wasn't slow and she could feel the effect she had on him but for now, they would take each day as it came. Besides, she needed to talk to Hilary, as the girl was more in tune with things like this. After all, Hilary didn't come from an isolate village where even thoughts of this nature weren't permitted.

Stretching, she left the bed and made her way to the bathroom, running her hands through Tala's hair as she passed him. "I'm just going to get ready, be about 10 minutes, kay?" She asked and closed the door as Tala nodded in response. She wondered what today was going to bring.

* * *

"I still don't understand Kai at times." Mariah mumbled to Tala as they made their way towards the meeting. "And how come you guys each get your own room? Such a big one as well? I either had the choice to share with my brother or Hilary. Our room is tiny. That is so not fair!" She whined. Tala's room was lovely and spacious. Why the bathroom was bigger than her actual room! In addition, it had a huge tub and a wet room. Sulking at the injustice of having such a small room, she huffed as they entered into the common lounge the room had. Since they were the only ones on this floor, the place was always empty. She looked around as she walked into the room and made her way towards where the boys sat. Sitting down on the couch next to Tala, she looked over at Kai who was sat on his own, his eyes closed and arms folded. Opposite to where she sat, were Bryan and Spencer, both looking impassive and uninterested. '_Wow, so much cheer_,' she thought with a hint of sarcasm as she waited for one of them to begin.

"Tomorrow we will be facing our next opponent and so I want us all to practise. We will meet later." Kai began; his eyes still closed as he relayed his statement keep it short and uninformative, no doubt due to Mariah being there. The rest of the boys nodded and the meeting was over.

Mariah sighed as the room was covered in silence once more. Looking at each of the boys, she wondered about their childhood and past. Each of them was so alike and yet so different. Her heart felt for them all and even though she had no idea what their past was like, she could tell it was unhappy. How lucky was she. She never truly realised how lucky she was, sure, she moaned about her family and at times, they fought. Nevertheless, they had loved each other and her childhood was filled with laughter. Reaching over to Tala hand, she interlinked their fingers and smiled at the boy. She was going to make him happy, she vowed to herself. No matter how difficult or how long it took, she was going to make him happy. She loved him; it was plain and simple as that. She loved him.

Tala smiled back at her he rubbed his fingertips against hers as they both relaxed. He knew that his teammates were staring at them but truth be told, he didn't care. He really couldn't be bothered about their smirks and disapprovals, the only thing that mattered to him now was Mariah and for her he could take anything.

Kai glanced at the two from the corner of his eyes. When the two first had gotten together a year back, he thought Tala was stupid. Anything that was a distraction or a weakness should have been long eliminated. He didn't care much for the girl either; he thought she was just another annoying girl. First, she had been a distraction for Rei and now for Tala. He didn't see any redeeming qualities about her at all. Okay, she might be pretty somewhat he guessed but apart from that there wasn't anything else there, or so he had thought. He had to admit that how she had helped Tala from what he was then to what he is now was amazing. She had stuck with him and he could see the changes within them both. She was something and he was impressed by her. Moreover, he was impressed by the way, she had rose up to meet the challenge of the tournament, not that she would get very far or anything. He didn't know why but for his teammate's sake, he would tolerate her. Not that they were friends or anything, but he could identify some of Tala's past with his own which, led onto a mutual respect. Right now though, he wanted to have a talk with Tala, as they needed to discuss the line up for tomorrows match. He knew that he would want to spend the rest of the day with Mariah, so he would speak with him now. "Tala, we need to discuss the line up." He said, while nodding his head to the doorway to indicate that he wanted to talk about this in private.

Tala nodded and rose to get up as Mariah asked, "Do you want me to go?" Tala looked at her and replied, "No stay, unless you have to go?"

Mariah shook her head no and smiled as he walked away. However, the smile soon turned into a frown as she realised she was alone with Bryan and Spencer. Her eyes widened as she realised that Spencer had already left, gone to who knows where. '_Great, it's just Bryan and me now_.' Gulping, she turned her head to look out of the window, trying to look invisible. It didn't really work as she could feel Bryan's glare on her. Taking a deep breath, she knew that now was the time to confront this matter.

"Okay Bryan, it's just us two now, so are you going to tell me why you can't stand me?" She began, trying to appear confident but still not quite being able to look at the boy. "Is it because I'm a White Tiger, or because I was there when you lost to Rei? Is it because you feel that I am distracting Tala from the tournament? I would never do that, I know that beyblading is important to him as it is to me. And I would never ever do that." Mariah cried out, her voice rising with each sentence.

"I envy you."

Mariah was completely stunned at the confession. "What?" She asked bewildered. '_What on earth did he mean that he was envious of her? Of her?'_ "Why?"

Bryan sighed as his eyes softened very slightly to reply to the girl. "I don't know what it's like to laugh. I don't know what it's like to have friends or smile. I've never known anything like that." Bryan started as Mariah's heart began to cry out for the boy. "And then I met Tala and the others who were also like me. We understood each other, we didn't care and we got along fine. Then you came along and changed Tala. I see the difference in him now, the way his whole demeanour has changed. His spirit seems to have come alive and I envy that. The person who was once like me has now changed so drastically. He can smile, I can't, and for that, I hate you. I hate that once again I've have been left behind. Once again I am alone again."

Mariah felt her heart break. She could hardly understand what he was going through. '_What a sad life_,' she mumbled despairingly to herself. '_This is what Tala must have felt like_.' Mariah had no idea what she should do, and so she just, _she just hugged him_.

Both teens were quiet as time carried on.

Mariah didn't say anything as she hugged the torn boy. Sometimes a small gesture could lead on to become the biggest support. Bryan didn't know how to feel or to react. This was something completely new to him. What was he meant to do? It felt strange, so different he wasn't sure if he liked it but he didn't want to let it go either and so, he tightened the hold. They stayed like that for a while until he felt the girl shift and start to release the hold. Mariah slowly released herself from the embrace. She hoped that she had been able to give Bryan some comfort. The pain in his voice, it was too much. She couldn't stand to hear such raw pain. He wasn't as bad as she thought he was. He was lonely and he was afraid.

"Did Tala ever tell you about his past?"

Mariah looked at the boy in astonishment. Shaking her head no, she continued to look at the boy. "I am not surprised. It's probably something he didn't want to admit to you." Bryan looked at the girl as he said this. Sighing, he began to tell her the tale from long ago, of their past.

"I met Tala, when we were both young. My father had long left home and we haven't seen him since. My mother was struggling to support us and then in the end she couldn't handle caring for my brother and me. With no money and no food, I had no option but to steal. That's how I met Tala. I was trying to pickpocket someone and he had the same idea. Unfortunately, we were caught and taken to the authorities. With no money to free me, my mother had no option but to leave me there. That's when he made his entrance. He told my mother a pack of lies that he was a here to help and looking for gifted children. He offered that he would pay for my education and board. All I had to do was stay at his boarding school, and so my mother agreed. My mother thanked him. I knew she had no option but I never saw her after that. I don't know what became of her or my brother. Tala came with me when I went to Biovolt. For him, it was an escape too."

"An escape?" Mariah asked who up until now had been so silent Bryan nearly forgot she was there.

"That's for him to tell you. I won't go into detail about what happened in Biovolt, it's probably better that you don't know." Bryan said the memory too much for him as he got up and made his way to the door. "If you left him now, it would be ten times as worse as anything Boris could throw at us."

Mariah stared as Bryan left the room. "You're right," she whispered as she made her way to the door also, "But I won't leave him."

* * *

Tala grimaced as he walked back to where Mariah was. He had just finished having a long conversation with Kai about the match tomorrow and who should be in the line up. It was still undecided if it was Kai and him or Spencer and Bryan. In the end, they decided to wait and see whom they were battling. It had be a tense discussion as Tala had been the one to suggest to that perhaps the other two should have a chance to blade. It had taken some convincing but Kai had reluctantly agreed that he would consider it.

He wondered if it was worth it. Bryan and Spencer probably wouldn't have cared either way if Tala had asked on their behalf or not. Nevertheless, he really thought that perhaps they should have a chance at least. Exhaling, he rubbed his hands across his face before opening the door, narrowly avoiding being thrown to the ground as something ran straight into him.

"T-Tala?"

Tala looked up and smiled, it was his pink haired angel, only right now, there was at least five of her and they were all blurring into one.

"Oh my god! Tala are you okay?"

Hearing the worry in her voice, Tala shook himself out of his stupor and said, "Yeah, I am fine. What's wrong and why are you in such a hurry?" He asked as he assessed the pink haired girl.

Mariah blushed slightly, before looking up at those turquoise eyes and admitting, "I was trying to find you." Interlocking her fingers and rubbing them together, she tore her gaze away from him and bent her head as she explained to him. "B-Bryan told me about his past. He told me about his childhood and then he told me about how he met you and – and about Biovolt."

Tala sighed. He really didn't want her know about his childhood, he didn't want someone as innocent as her to know about the corruption and deceit from his past. Rubbing his hands across his face, he suddenly felt as if he had aged dramatically. How could he explain it all to her? He was so ashamed about the things he did, the stealing, the lies, and everything that happened at the tournament with Biovolt. Would she stay with him? Would she be disgusted at him? He couldn't bear it if he lost her. Sighing, he realised that there was only one way to find out, he had to trust her and hope she would stay. Grabbing her hand and leading her back in the room, he lowered her to the seat and began his story.

"I was an only child. My father was a soldier and my mother was a homemaker. We were so proud of my father, he was one of the top ranking solders, and we had a happy life. It was just a shame that I was too young to remember those times. Anyway, my father and mother were happy, or at least they were until it all fell apart." Tala sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, separating the ruby strands and making them fall back into place in random directions. He cleared his throat before continuing. "My father lost his job and that was the start of our problems. He became abusive and angry all the time. He would hit my mother and me constantly. He drank a lot and that added to his anger. My mother couldn't stand it and so she left us." Tala could feel the foreign tears forming at his eyes, sighing, he shook his head hoping not to break down as he felt Mariah grab his hand and rest her head against his chest. "After she left, my dad fell to pieces. He constantly drank as you know but we had no money coming in and so I had to steal for a living. My father knew what I was doing and encouraged it. After all we made some money for his _drink_." Mariah looked at him as the anger began to sound in his voice. "If I didn't make enough then he would beat me, he found pleasure in that. Anyway, I was trying to pickpocket someone and that's how I met Bryan, as you know. I had no way to free myself from the authorities and so when Boris came and offered me freedom I took it. I wanted power Mariah; I wanted it all. I wanted to show them, my father and my mother what I could become. I wanted to be the best. I didn't care about the consequence; I wanted it all. I was hungry, Mariah." Tala looked at Mariah as he said this, his eyes turning almost glass like. "I wanted everyone to know who I was and that someone like me could hold an ultimate power." Tala broke the gaze as he carried on. "And now you know. You know what I was and of all the shameful things that I have done. I understand, if-if you want to leave me now. I would never blame you." Tala finished, his face turning away from her and looking at the wall.

Mariah was shocked, his past was even worse than anything she could imagine. How dare his father take out his own frustrations on him and how dare his mother leave him with that abusive jerk. She was shattered inside for him, she couldn't even think of the horror he must have gone through at home and just when he thought it would get better, Boris took advantage of his vulnerable mind and corrupted him. '_Damn them all_,' she thought angrily. They had no right to do that. She would never let anything like that happen to him again, never.

Hearing his last statement, she looked up at him and felt angry, "Tala, look at me." She began as she turned his head towards hers. "How can you think I would leave you? Do you think any of this makes you a less person? You had a hard and troubled childhood and the fact that you survived it makes you strong. You've changed yourself so much; you should be proud of yourself. I am. I think you are the strongest person I know. I can't even begin to imagine your childhood and I am sorry I wasn't there. I wish I were because I would have made your life happy. I can't live without you Tala, your past doesn't matter to me, and I just want you to be happy. I am so grateful that you shared your memories with me; I know it was so hard. Please though, you mustn't live in the past; you have to think of the future." Mariah felt the tears running down the side of her cheeks as she said this.

"But I am afraid, What if I am like him? What if I turn out to be like him and hurt the people I care about?" Tala whispered, his throat hurting with all the emotions pouring out.

"You are nothing like him. Listen to me! You have changed yourself so much. I have seen you change so much in this year. You didn't run away from your sins at Biovolt did you? You met them straight on. When we met last year, you could have run and not faced them but you did. You didn't hide away nor did you continue down that path. You changed yourself, so stop doubting yourself. You need to look at yourself Tala, and realise what you are now. You are nothing like your father or your mother. You are you." Mariah jumped up at the last statement and looked directly into Tala's eyes, refusing to let the boy hide. She held his both sides of his cheeks in her hands as she repeated, "You are yourself and no one else."

"But how can you be so sure?" The pained whisper caused her to tighten the hold she had. Mariah smiled as she refused to let him look away. "I know because I love you."

The silence was deafening. Tala looked at Mariah and she gazed back at him, as the weight of the words was understood. "I love you." She whispered again, her head resting on his throat. Tala was stunned, '_She loved him? Loved him_?' The thought filled him with something he had never truly understood before, happiness. He looked over at his angel, and smiled. Really smiled at her.

"I love you too."

No more words were needed as the lovers met in a joint embrace. Time stopped and carried on but the hold never lessened. It never would, they were together forever.

Bryan smirked as he witnessed the confessions. He had gone back to see if the girl has stayed after he had told her his story or if she had bolted. He was slightly shocked when he saw she was still there and talking to Tala. Hearing Tala's tale brought back so many unhappy memories and then he heard it. The quiet confession and the outcome. He felt at ease inside.

"What are you looking at?" He heard Spencer ask him as he became aware that his teammates had come up behind him and were too looking at the scene.

"The future." He replied as he closed the door, letting the lovers stay in their own world.

* * *

Hilary screamed silently as Lee banged on the door again. Really, having such an over protective brother was a pain. She had no idea how Mariah dealt with him. He had only been hounding her for an hour and already she was sick of him.

"Come on Mariah," she whispered, "Where are you? I can't hold him off any longer." Hilary sighed as she lay on the bed. Really all this stress of Tala and Mariah was too much as she wasn't even in the relationship! "Once Mariah gets here I am going to have a talk with her," she muttered as she clenched the sheets tightly. "And then I need to go out and have some fun. All this stress must really be giving me wrinkles." Hilary sighed as Lee knocked on the door again, she was about to open it when she heard a sound from the window. Staring in shock, she saw Mariah appear from out of nowhere.

"Where have you been?" She cried quietly, "Lee has been driving me mad. I held him off but now he is suspicious. I told him you were in the bathroom but he must know that it was a lie."

"Its fine Hilary, thank you so much for covering for me. I know I put you in a difficult position. You are a real friend Hilary." Hilary eyes widened as she look over at Mariah. The girl had somehow changed, sure, she looked the same but there was something different about her. She kept thinking this as she saw Mariah open the door and confront Lee.

"Where have you been?" Lee cried as he felt relief at seeing that his sister was okay. However, no matter how relived he was, this time Mariah had gone too far and it was his job and love for his sister to make sure she knew that.

"I was with Tala." She said boldly as Lee looked at her in shock.

"What? You spent the night with Tala?" He asked, trying to reassure himself that he had heard wrong.

"Yes I did." Mariah kept up her bold truth. She knew this conversation was going to be hard for Lee to hear but she had to be truthful. She owned her brother that. Looking back at her friend, she saw that Hilary had also clocked on and was making her way out of the room. "I will leave you guys to it," she said as she passed Mariah and squeezed her hand. Her support was all that Mariah needed to continue.

Sighing, she looked at Lee and saw that he was looking at her as if he had never seen her before. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room as she closed the door behind her. "Please listen to me before you start to shout." She began, and then told him everything. "I stayed with Tala last night, nothing like that happened and even if it did it would be none of your business. I love him Lee and I would never leave him, even if that means leaving home. Please understand that I can't live without him. I would never be stupid but what I have with Tala, I can't describe to you. I know this hurts you but I won't stay a little girl forever and even more so I can't be one of the girls from the village. I have changed so much, my thoughts, my opinions of the world and even my soul has changed. I am sorry but if I can, I would leave with Tala right now. I know this is selfish of me and I can only begin to imagine the war that will happen back at home if they find out but I don't care anymore. I am going to be with him but I also need your support. Please Lee, don't hate me. You're my brother and I love you. I don't want to be at odds with you. Please don't be angry." Mariah cried as she held her head in her hands. Now she couldn't look at her brother, in case she saw disgust in his eyes.

Lee was stunned. He was completely and utterly staggered. The confession that he heard from his sister was too much. He knew she and Tala had something but in this short time, it had changed so much he couldn't even begin to keep up. Moreover, she was right; when this all came out back at home, life wouldn't be worth living. Nevertheless, even though he knew that, he couldn't fault his sister. She had a good heart and she was a good person, he could easily understand why Tala fell in love with her. How could he be angry with her? After all, she had followed her heart. No matter what, he would always be there for her. She was his sister and he loved her. Smiling, he hugged the sobbing girl and said, "I could never be angry at you Mariah. You're my sister and I love you. I don't care about back at home or that it's Tala. As long as you are happy I will support you in anything." Lee saw his sister stare up at him, tears visible in her eyes. "Thank you Lee." She whispered back and returned the hold. Lee smiled as he felt himself tearing up as well, his sister was growing up and she was turning into a beautiful young woman. He was proud of her, very proud.

Hilary was worried; she couldn't hear anything from her room and the way Lee was acting before she was sure he would have been screaming right now. Sighing, she decided to take a quick peek into the room and hoped that she wouldn't be noticed. Opening the door quietly, she peaked into the room and was bewildered as she saw the siblings talking quietly to each other. Looking closely she could see evidence of tears. Unaware of what to do, she backed out quietly hoping not to disturb the conversation, unfortunately for her, she somehow managed to trip over her own feet and went flying onto her backside. "Oww," she cried in pain. '_Why me_?' she thought unhappily as she tried to get herself up.

"Hilary! Are you okay?" She heard Mariah cry as the pink haired girl came into her line of vision. Taking the hand held out, she groaned quietly to herself and pouted. She looked over at Lee, who was walking up to the pair and heard him say he would talk to her later. Glancing quizzically at the girl, she saw that Mariah looked slightly relieved. She needed to find the underlying cause of this and so she asked the most important question.

"Did you sleep with Tala?"

Mariah felt her eyes widen and heart stop as she heard the bold question. "WHAT? HILARY!" She cried stunned as the door opened to admit Emily.

"What's going on?" the new arrival asked as Mariah screamed out "NOTHING." While Hilary clarified the statement and said, "I was asking Mariah if she did IT with Tala!"

Emily felt her own eyes widen as she heard what her friend has asked. This was important, so she sat herself down and listed to the conversation.

Mariah calmed herself as she began to reply to her friend. She knew that Hilary was concerned about her, inquisitive to gossip as she was herself, but concerned. Sighing, she confessed to her friends. "No I didn't do it with Tala _but …_ I think I want to? I am sorry; I know that sounds silly, as you should know you are ready but it's such a big step and not something I would ever take lightly. I want to be with him in every way possible but I am still scared. I never even imagined I would be thinking like this as girls from our village are forbidden to even think of having premarital sex but I don't care about that. What would they think of me now? But in all truth, I don't know if I can bring myself to care about that. I love him guys, I really do and I am so frightened. It's so intense."

Hilary and Emily smiled at their friend. Moving over the girl they both grabbed her in a hug as Hilary whispered while smoothing Mariah's hair. "Of course you're scared. You're in love and it's hit you with full force. As to what you do with Tala that's your own decision and at least you're being sensible and not rushing into anything. Don't be afraid Mariah; people will say anything bad to make themselves feel better, what matters is what you want. If you want to be with Tala then be with him. You'll find no one judging you here. Emily and I are happy for you, really happy, aren't we Em?" Emily nodded and smiled back at her friends. "Of course I am. To be honest Mariah I have no idea how you are feeling right now, as Max and I aren't even at a stage yet but you should be happy. We know who you are and love you. As for your family back home, well that's your decision but life can be long Riah, it's not good to spend it alone and if Tala makes happy then maybe that's all you need right?" Mariah smiled back at her friends; she would have been nothing without them. Laughing, she grabbed them both into a big bear hug as they all fell down on the bed. She sighed in relief, today had gone better than she imagined. She still couldn't quite believe it.

"So Em," She heard Hilary say, "Max?"

Mariah glanced at the now blushing girl as she and Hilary both screamed before demanding that Emily confessed everything to her. As the girl became to tell them of what had happened Mariah realised how lucky she was. She had Lee, her friends and Tala. How could anything come between them?

* * *

Boris smiled as he made his way up the stairs unseen. He was tired of hiding in the shadows and he wanted to wreck a little havoc. He knew his team BEGA would wipe the floor with the competition but he wanted a little fun for himself. He knew that the pink haired girl was staying in this hotel, Kai and Tala staying in another very close by. He wanted to play a little on her fears and so he thought he would leave a message. Turning into an empty corridor, he faded into the shadows as he heard some female voices. It was the brat and her friends. He waited until her friends went by before reaching out and grabbing Mariah, pulling her back into the shadows and covering her mouth with his hands as he held her back painfully.

"Hello Mariah, remember me?" He crooned out, smiling as he felt the girl tense up in fear. How he loved it when people feared him. "I thought you would. I see that you and Tala are here at the tournament. Bad move on your part." He whispered into her ear, holding his hand more tightly across her mouth as he could hear the whimpers sounding out. "I am going to make you pay, you and your boyfriend. You messed up my plans last time but this time you won't succeed. Be afraid little one; be very afraid. I am going to squash you like the annoying gnat you are." And with that, he let go of his hold and disappeared faster than the girl could comprehend.

Scared Mariah let out a sob as she got to her feet. She needed to get away and fast. Passing her friends who hadn't noticed she wasn't with them until now and ignoring their cries, she made her way to the person, she needed the most, Tala.

* * *

Tala was slightly startled as he heard the insistent knocking at his door. Hurrying, he opened the door to find his arms full of Mariah. Worried now, he hugged the girl and drew her into his room while asking. "What's wrong? Mariah what's wrong, tell me."

Mariah ignored the stares from his teammates who had also heard to commotion. "B-Boris," she whispered as a collective gasp made its way around the corridor. "He's back, he told me to be afraid and that he was coming. Tala," she said, tears forming and running down her face. "He said he was coming for us. He said that this time he was going to succeed. He's here Tala and he said he was going to win this time."

Tala said nothing as the fear hit him. He was back and they had to face it. His nightmare was becoming a reality.

TBC

Hey guys thanks for reading this fic so far. Sorry, for the delay in uploading, blame work.

Anyway, I would love it if you left a review it helps me to know that people are still reading this. In addition, thanks to everyone who has left a review so far, you guys rule. Fact.

Did you know I once had some beautiful Tala x Mariah fanart that someone drew for me? I lost it all when I had to reformat my computer *cries*


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